Advent Week 3: What Have You Stopped Praying For?

Advent Reading Plan: Luke 1:5-25

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“What have you stopped praying for?”

That’s the question that comes to mind when I read the story of Zechariah and Elizabeth in Luke 1:5–25.

In verse 13, an angel appeared to Zechariah and said, “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” (NIV).

We don’t know exactly how long Zechariah and Elizabeth had been praying for a child. However, it is likely they had been praying for a long time. Luke 1:7 reads “…they had no children because Elizabeth was barren, and both were well along in years” (NIV). This suggests they were likely past the typical age of having children.

I don’t know if there’s something you’ve been praying about for a long time. But if an angel came to me and told me that the thing I had been praying for was finally coming to fruition, I’d probably say something like, “Finally! What took so long?”

However, that’s not how Zechariah responded. Luke 1:18 reads, “Zechariah asked the angel, ‘How can I be sure of this? I am an old man, and my wife is well along in years’” (NIV).  Essentially, Zechariah doubted that it was even possible for them to still have children.

His response makes me wonder: had Zechariah stopped praying for children? Perhaps, after years of unanswered prayers, he finally said, “Why bother?” and gave up praying for it.

Regardless of when he started or stopped praying, his prayer was finally being answered at that moment.

Maybe you can relate to Zechariah. Perhaps you’ve been praying for something for months, years, or even decades. You may have said to yourself, “Why bother?” and stopped praying for that thing.

The story of Zechariah and Elizabeth is an invitation to return to those unanswered prayers. It’s also a reminder of the joy that answered prayers can bring. As the angel said to Zechariah: “He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth” (Luke 1:14, NIV).