Bread Crumbs – Devotions for Life

Your Prayer has been Heard

Luke 1:13-14

The angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zacharias; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to give him the name John. He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth.  (NIV)

Most likely it was an old prayer.

Surely Zacharias and Elizabeth had given up believing they would ever had a child.  In verse 7 Luke told us, “they both were now well stricken in years.”  Couples on Medicare have given up the thought of having children.  In fact, the prospect of having a baby when on Medicare (which I’m not) would scare the day lights out of me.

For years, through the silver and into the golden anniversary of their love, God let their prayer remain unfulfilled.

Most likely Zacharias and Elizabeth had come to peace with God that their prayer was never answered as they had hoped.  They accepted the fact that God was in charge that He had a plan.

God’s “No” had not left them embittered, broken, separated from Him.  They had remained faithful to His commands and ordinances.

Then as the sun was setting and darkness was closing in on their dream, Zacharias heard the words he had once longed for “Your prayer has been heard!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

I’d love to hear these words.  I have some long standing prayers which I often fear God never heard.  Or, if He heard them, His answer was a quiet, “No!”  I have learned to live with this.

But what if God said to me, “Rus, I will hear and answer one of your previous prayers, which one do you want me to answer?”

Which prayer would I chose?

God told Zacharias to name his son John, which means Jehovah is a gracious giver!

That’s the prayer I want God to answer!  The prayer through which God would give you and me a gracious gift.

Later the angel said, “Behold I bring you news of a great joy … a Savior has been born!”

Before I could ever pray, He answered my prayer.

Prayer:  Loving Father, forgive me for all the times I have complained that you have not heard my prayer.  Help me to know that long ago you answered my heart’s desire, my deepest need.  Long ago you saved me from my sins.  Thank you Lord!  Amen