Luke 1:5ff 5 In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron. 6 Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commands and decrees blamelessly. 7 But they were childless because Elizabeth was not able to conceive, and they were both very old.
Even though they were righteous before God, even though he was serving in the priesthood, that didn’t mean that Zechariah and Elizabeth’s lives had been easy or without difficulty. The way the Scripture is worded here, “Elizabeth was not able to conceive,” tells me it was something that had tried for, something they had hoped for. It was something they prayed for, but now they were very old. So, at this point, I’m sure they are past hoping it will happen.
Yet, there they were, serving God, believing God, trusting God. They didn’t let what didn’t happen for them in their earthly life create distance between them and God. These people were spiritually mature. They were the real deal.
Just because you walk closely with God doesn’t mean that things will work out the way you want them to or in the time you want them to. Zechariah and Elizabeth stand as examples of what it means to trust God through and with your disappointments.
8 Once when Zechariah’s division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God, 9 he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to go into the temple of the Lord and burn incense. 10 And when the time for the burning of incense came, all the assembled worshipers were praying outside.
A priest might only have one chance in his lifetime to have this honor. To have been chosen was likely the biggest event of his life. It was a once-in-a-lifetime moment. I’m sure he had speculated what it would be like to enter the holy place in the temple. I’m sure he had heard amazing stories from other priests who had had the privilege of standing before the presence of God. It was now his turn to experience it firsthand.
There were two other priests who would have been chosen by lot that morning. They would walk beside the priest who was chosen to offer the incense. All three would enter the Holy Place together. One priest would set the burning coals on the golden altar. The other people arranged the incense, so it was ready to go and then those two priests left the temple, and the incense priest was left all alone in the Holy Place! That guy was Zechariah. He would be left alone in the presence of God.
11 Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. 12 When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. 13 But the angel said to him: “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.
First of all, I can imagine Zechariah was startled. Who wouldn’t be afraid? But the angel quickly gave him the message that permeates the Christmas story. “Fear not.” Notice what the angel said next. “Do not be afraid, Zechariah. Your prayer has been heard.” Friends, I highly doubt Zechariah was using his incense time in his old age to ask God to help him and Elizabeth to have a baby. What did the angel mean when the angel said, “Your prayer has been heard.”
Your prayers don’t have an expiration date. Zechariah and Elizabeth had prayed many prayers decades before. The angel was telling them that the fruit of those prayers was yet on the way. Zechariah never went to work that day thinking he would become a father. How many prayers had they prayed? How many times did they wonder why God was SILENT?
Zechariah had been praying for the consolation of Israel, for the Messiah to come. That was always on the prayer list of the priest. Little did he know that a son God would give he and Elizabeth would become instrumental in preparing the way for the Messiah’s birth!
14 He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, 15 for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born. 16 He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. 17 And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” 18 Zechariah asked the angel, “How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.” 19 The angel said to him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news.
And here is the miracle of silence I want us to reflect on for just a few moments:
20 And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their appointed time.”
While it seemed God had been the silent one in Zechariah’s life, God took away Zechariah’s voice and made him silent. He would be unable to speak about what had happened with anyone until that baby was born. He wouldn’t be able to talk about the miracle that was taking place in his home, in his wife’s body. He wouldn’t be able to testify to the angelic visit. In silence, he would wait and watch God execute His plan.
Usually, when we think about a miracle, we think about God adding something to our lives, like healing. When healing comes, the sickness goes. But we probably haven’t often, if ever, thought about God removing something that we use on a daily basis, something we count on, as a miracle or something for our good.
21 Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah and wondering why he stayed so long in the temple. 22 When he came out, he could not speak to them. They realized he had seen a vision in the temple, for he kept making signs to them but remained unable to speak.
That had to mess with the priests who wondered what they might face if they were to win the lottery next!
23 When his time of service was completed, he returned home. 24 After this his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and for five months remained in seclusion.
Zechariah was forced into silence. Elizabeth chose silence. Do you see it? She remained in seclusion, hiding her pregnancy, hiding her miracle. Only she and Zechariah, and God and the angel knew what was happening. It was going to be a quiet miracle, at least for five months.
This was a significant moment. For 400 years God’s people had waited for Him to speak. That is a long time for God’s people to go without hearing His voice. Maybe it seems like a long time since you have heard God speak to you. Maybe you have had some questions about God’s seeming silence in your life. Be reminded that the first two things God said after 400 years of silence were: You don’t have to be afraid, and your prayer has been heard.
Why the imposed silence when Zechariah had some doubts about how this birth could take place after decades and decades of trying to have a child? Zechariah lifted up his and Elizabeth’s age as if that was an issue for God. In that miracle of imposed silence, God was silencing Zechariah’s doubts! Listen, church. We need to resist limiting God in any way with the words that we speak. Perhaps God knew Zechariah wasn’t going to stop with the questions. Perhaps he knew his doubts would only grow as he continued to speak. God was going to teach Zechariah something we all need to learn, “In quietness and trust is your strength.” Isaiah 30:15
Yes, questions are a normal response to Divine activity, but there comes a time when we need to “Be still and know that He is God,” Psalm 46:10. Sometimes God doesn’t work in what appears to be a flurry of activity. Sometimes He works in the midst of a silent, quiet and trusting heart.
The world wasn’t going to get a heads up that the Messiah was soon at hand. He would come quietly, and only those who needed to know He was on the way would get the briefing. Listen, sometimes the miracle of God is just for you for a minute. Sometimes God wants to communicate something to you that He wants you to ponder alone in your heart, something He wants you to benefit from first. It wasn’t time for Zechariah to tell his story. It was time for him to be still and let God work. It was time for him to watch a miracle unfold in silence. Maybe God had more to do in Zechariah to prepare him to be the father of John the Baptist and God needed Zechariah to be still enough to receive the preparation.
Sometimes, letting go of fear requires a deeper trust, a more intentional and often quiet surrender to letting God have His way in our lives. Zechariah had some decisions to make. For the next nine months, he wouldn’t be communicating with anyone but God. Do you think they had some special times together?
What did Zechariah and Elizabeth do during that time of silence? They prepared for their miracle! They readied themselves. They readied their home, and they let God do the miracle. For five months, their quiet miracle was theirs to rejoice in. They couldn’t do anything to make it happen. They just stood back in silent trust and watched God work. Something most people want to shout to the world, “We’re having a baby!” was kept quiet. It was an intimate miracle until it could no longer be hidden.
Sometimes we’re afraid of silence. Sometimes it’s awkward. Sometimes, God wants to work quietly in us until it’s time to unveil what He is doing. In that respect, the miracle of silence becomes a gift to us.
In times of silence, trust God to be working the miracle you need.
Maybe like Zechariah God has moved some people out of your life or removed some noise from the culture because He has something to say to you that He doesn’t want you to miss. Maybe in awe and wonder of His amazing work, like Elizabeth, you have chosen a season of silence, a season of silent worship. In either case, the end result will be an explosion of grace in through your life and a blessing for those around you. God’s work doesn’t stay underground forever. What He builds, He blesses. What He births, He blesses.
Silence can indicate a miracle is about to make its way to earth.
