Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John.

Luke 1:11-13 (NIV)

 

We must learn to pray with hopeful expectation.

Despite being childless for a long time, Zechariah never gave up believing God for a child. Imagine his surprise when the Angel Gabriel told him that God has heard his prayer and will soon give him a son.

Our prayer life reflects how much we truly believe and trust God for everything. Again, it is not about how “long” or how much we “pray”, but about how our prayers are answered in His way and in His time.

We are to pray without ceasing and not be discouraged even when God appears to be silent. The silence does not imply that God is not working on your behalf. Our stories are intertwined with God's story of salvation in Jesus. This means that God is always working to bring His eternal purpose to pass in our lives and the lives of others.

Make prayer an open and ongoing conversation with God throughout the day. It is through the habit of asking and receiving from God that we grow more and more in faith.

Like Zechariah, God can still surprise us during those moments when we feel forgotten by Him. Learn to remain faithful to God and hold on to His promise, even when we feel it is impossible. Then we will arrive at a place where we are so fully persuaded by God’s perfect love that we have nothing to fear but everything to gain.