Praying and Waiting

Luke 1:10

Over the years I have come to love this account of Luke’s Gospel. It is the story of Zacharias and his encounter with the Angel concerning the conception and birth of John the Baptist, the forerunner of Christ.

As Zacharias was offering incense in the Temple, the people outside were waiting and praying. These two should always accompany one another. They were waiting for Zacharias to come out so that they could know that the nation had been interceded for and that God was pleased and appeased.

Zacharias was offering incense a little longer than usual and the people began to get really nervous. What they didn’t know was that the Angel was communicating to Zacharias his role in bringing about God’s will for the coming messiah and how his son John would be the one to introduce him.

The lesson for us is that we are like the people standing on the outside waiting and praying for Zacharias to come out. The difference is we are not waiting for a priest like Zacharias, we are waiting for our high priest Jesus Christ to appear. Until that time we may wonder what God is up to and how the events going on around us is going to shape up in the near future. We, like the people standing outside in anticipation, don’t know what is going on in the counsel of God in heaven, but one thing we do know, is that God is up to something and we with patience must wait for it.

God said through the prophet Jeremiah that he knows the plans that he has for Israel and that they are good plans. (Jeremiah 29:11) God has good plans for us in bad times and we just need to wait patiently for those plans to be revealed. Until that time comes we keep praying as Christ our mediator keeps praying and interceding on our behalf. The revelation will come! The plan will unfold! And God’s church will once again take the lead and be the people that he called us to be in times like these.

One day the eternal plan of God will unfold. One day the Father will say to his son, go and get my people. We don’t know when the conversation will take place, but what we do know is when that day comes, there will be a people on earth praying “Even so come, Lord Jesus!” Until then “May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with us all! Amen!”(Revelation 22:20,21)

Pastor Robby