“But the angel said, ‘Don’t be afraid, Zechariah! God has heard your prayer. Your wife, Elizabeth, will give you a son, and you are to name him John.’” ~ Luke 1:13NLT
Did you hear what the angel of the LORD said to Zachariah? He said, “Don’t be afraid, Zechariah! God has heard your prayer.” That is extremely important. Why? Because, when we read that, we read it superficially, or in other words, we read it at face value. But there is more going on here. Look with me at verse 18. It says, “Zechariah said to the angel, ‘How can I be sure this will happen? I’m an old man now, and my wife is also well along in years.’”
Did you catch that? It’s been years, probably decades since Zachariah last prayed that prayer. It’s been so long forgotten that he has given up, no, he has lost all hope, because his wife can no longer bear children. Therefore, God did not answer his prayer and now it’s too late; they’ve missed their opportunity. But God, our God is a good God and He never forgets. The prayers that have come up before Him are lasting prayers.
Look at Acts 10:4NIV “…The angel answered, ‘Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God.’” It wasn’t the prayer he was praying at that time, it was those he had prayed in the past, coupled with his giving.
Look also at Revelation 5:8NIV, “And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of God’s people.” Our prayers don’t just go up and eventually fizzle out just because we don’t see something happening when we say amen. Our prayers are ever before God and they will have their turn coming up as a memorial before Him. So, don’t ever think, or feel that your unanswered prayer is just that, an unanswered prayer. We are probably all still reaping the benefits of prayers that our parents, or grandparents, or even great grandparents prayed.
Be encouraged, your prayers have been heard by your heavenly Father, and if they have been heard, then they will be answered if we don’t lose heart. Be blessed and stay blessed.
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