It was a special day. Actually, Zacharias did not know just how special it was! He knew it was special because it was his turn, as one of the priests in his community, to go into the holy sanctuary of the temple and burn incense. Luke 1:9 says, “According to the custom of the priest’s office, his lot was to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord.” This lot may have fallen to a priest only once in his lifetime. So, this could have been a once-in-a-lifetime event for Zacharias! But what happened while he was in the sanctuary changed his life forever. While the people were praying without, an angel appeared to Zacharias within the sanctuary. To say Zacharias was surprised is an understatement—he was troubled and fearful! Just as you don’t expect an angelic visit, Zacharias did not see an angel just every day. This was certainly a special occasion.
The angel’s message was special also. In Luke 1:13, the angle says, “Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard.” What prayer was the angel referring to? Well, the angel explains, as the verse continues, “for thy wife Elizabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John.” From this, we can infer that, like many other parents, Zacharias and Elizabeth had desired and prayed for a child. But Zacharias and Elizabeth weren’t just like many other parents. We should probably preface this statement, with another statement about Zacharias and Elizabeth in verse 7 which says, “And they had no child, because that Elizabeth was barren, and they both were now well stricken in years.” So, this wasn’t just an answer to prayer for a child to a young married couple desiring their first child. This was an impossible answer to prayer. This was doubly impossible because, not only was Elizabeth barren, she was also now too old to have children anyway! This message from the angel was impossibly special.
In fact, the angel’s message was too special for Zacharias to accept. In case the angel hadn’t noticed, Zacharias informed him, “Whereby shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years.” In modern English, Zacharias was saying, “How do I know that you’re not kidding me? I mean, I’m an old guy. And my wife . . . well, she’s really old. If this is really going to happen, prove it.” Zacharias’ response was not one of faith-filled curiosity about how God was going to perform this in his life. His response was one of skepticism that God was going to do it at all. And how could we really blame him? This answer to prayer was too good to be true! No, it was too impossible to be true. For years, Zacharias had prayed for the same thing—a child. As the years went by, the prayer became more impossible. The Bible doesn’t tell us that Zacharias had stopped praying for a child in his old age. Perhaps he had kept praying because it was habitual or a discipline for him. Maybe he continued praying because he half-hoped something would come of it. Or maybe he had stopped praying altogether because he assumed the chances of an answer were too slim. And now, out of nowhere, an angel appears and says his long-time impossible prayer will be answered?
From this story, we can see that doubt it inherent to human nature. It’s not something new or something unique to you if you’ve ever struggled with doubting God. Zacharias doubted when he received an answer to prayer literally delivered express mail by an angel! So, who are we to think that we will never struggle with doubt? Perhaps you are in a season of doubt right now. You have been praying about something for a long time and still have received no response from heaven. Maybe you think the window of opportunity is closing on your prayer request. Certainly, that was the case for Zacharias. Maybe you don’t want to keep praying because you are afraid of being disappointed. Zacharias very likely didn’t readily accept the angel’s message because he was afraid of being disappointed. What if it didn’t work out? Like Zacharias, you are faced with a choice. You can continue praying in faith that you will receive an answer, or you can give up in doubt that God will ever respond.
The human struggle with doubt isn’t the only insight we can draw from Zacharias’ story. We can also see the blessed truth that God does respond to impossible prayers—even when they are received with skepticism. Even better, God responds to impossible prayers with impossibly good answers! You see, Zacharias did not just get a child, he got a child in his old age. And Zacharias did not just receive a child in his old age, he received a child in his old age with a purpose that would transcend time! How epic is that? In Luke 1:14-17, the angel expounds on this child’s purpose: “And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth. For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother’s womb. And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God. And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” It is normal for there to be joy and gladness from the parents at the birth of their child. What is unusual is for many other people to rejoice at the birth of their child. This child was a gift, not just to his parents and immediate friends and family. This child was a gift to the nation of Israel because he would prepare their hearts for the ultimate gift to the world—the Messiah. Zacharias’ prayer may have been an impossible one, but God’s answer was above and beyond, impossibly good.
Sometimes God doesn’t answer our prayer at the time or in the way we want because He is preparing to give us more than we asked. In our finite humanness, we cannot see the big picture. We are not aware of all the moving pieces involved. We are oblivious to the grand-scale plan of God. All we can see is our part in the story, but God is writing the entire story. God doesn’t just want to give good things to us; He wants to give good things through us to others. Like it did for Zacharias, this may require a different answer than the one we were expecting. As Ephesians 3:20-21 says, “Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.” God has a greater purpose for our prayers than we do. Ultimately, His purpose in prayer is to glorify His name. How amazing that we and our feeble prayers (which lack so much context) are included in bringing God glory and achieving His grand purpose? God certainly gave Zacharias an answer to his prayer that was exceeding, abundantly above all that he could ask or think. In Zacharias’ case, there was no doubt that the answer was according to God’s power—not his or Elizabeth’s! God wants to give you exceeding, abundantly above, impossibly good answers to your prayers, too. His goal for you is not to merely make you happy. It is to bring about a greater purpose in your life—one that will help others and glorify His name!
From Zacharias’ story, we can learn that while doubt is a normal response to impossible prayer, we don’t have to let doubt dampen our prayers. While we are praying, God is doing something! What is your impossible prayer? Maybe it is for an unsaved family member, an unfulfilled desire, or an unmet need. Whatever it is for you, it can’t get any more impossible than Zacharias’ prayer. If God could respond to Zacharias’ impossible prayer with an impossibly good answer, He can do that for you as well. So, don’t give up on your impossible prayers. Keep praying. Don’t assume that God isn’t listening or doesn’t care just because He hasn’t answered yet. Keep praying. Keep praying because you have no idea what He is preparing you for and what He is preparing for you.