ZACHARIAS’S FEAR
“And when Zacharias saw him, he was trouble, and fear fell upon him” (Luke 1:12).
Luke writes with the compassion and tenderness of a family physician. The central theme of his 2d-chapter gospel is Jesus’s humanity and compassion. There, he mentions 23 women; he also mentions the sick, the children, and the poor, the most vulnerable social groups. In the two books he authored, Luke and Acts of the Apostles, he mentions the Holy Spirit more than fifty times, and he emphasizes the intervention of angels.
Zacharias, whose name means “Jehovah has remembered,” was a priest; his wife Elisabeth was related to Mary, the mother of Jesus. They lived in the mountainous region of Judea, they studied carefully the prophecies referring to the Messiah, and they were considered righteous before God. They had no children, but they remained faithful to God in spite of the belief that infertility was a divine punishment and constituted a legal basis for divorce. Throughout their married life, they prayed for a son. Now they were elderly, and through them we see that “with God nothing will be impossible”
(Luke 1:37). “When the case seemed hopeless, Zacharias received his answer. . . . God had not forgotten the prayer of His servants. He had written it in His record book, to be answered in His own good time. Looking at outward appearances, Zacharias and Elisabeth had buried their hopes; but the Lord had not forgotten. He knew of the long years of disappointment. . ..
God gave Zacharias a son no ordinary, but one who should hold a high place in His work.”—PDF Bible Commentary, vol. 5, p. 1114.
“God does not always answer our prayers the first time we call upon Him; for should He do this, we might take it for granted that we had a right to all the blessings and favors He bestowed upon us. Instead of searching our hearts to see if any evil was entertained by us, any sin indulged, we would become careless, and fail to realize our dependence upon Him, and our need of His help” (Prayer, ch. 11, p. 110). “I saw that every prayer which is sent up in faith from an honest heart will be heard of God and answered, and the one that sent up the petition will have the blessing when he needs it most, and it will often exceed his expectations. Not a prayer of a true saint is lost if sent up in faith from an honest heart.”—Testimonies for the Church, vol. 1, p. 121.
Keep trusting God. Your prayer has been heard, and you will receive the answer at just the right time.
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Taken from: Devotional Thoughts for Women 2023
“DAUGHTER OF MINE” Do Not Be Afraid
From: Arsenia Fernandez-Uckele
Collaborators: Xiomara Perdomo & Esteban Cortes