Luke 1: 19-20, “The angel answered, ‘I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news. 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 proper time.”
Some of the toughest words to hear in this verse are “…will come true at their proper time.” Waiting for what we believe God has promised us can be difficult, even when the promise is delivered by an angel. Prayers go unanswered. Time ticks by. We wonder if God even hears us! Zechariah and Elizabeth had been waiting year-after-year for a baby. Now, after Elizabeth has passed childbearing years, an angel appears and tells Zechariah they will have a son.
My dad has always told us, “If God is going to do something in your life, He’s usually going to make you wait.” In the case of Zechariah and Elizabeth, the chosen parents of John the Baptist, He knew the perfect time. Zechariah and Elizabeth did not.
Waiting on God’s proper time creates in us a desire, a thirst, a dependence on God. If over the years that Zechariah prayed for Elizabeth to conceive, God had sent him a blueprint, a concise plan, a future glimpse, would they have relied on God? Would their faith have been as strong? Could they have been the parents He needed them to be for John the Baptist? Would they have depended on Him for support? Probably not.
In life there will be times when we have to wait. It isn’t important why we are waiting or how long we are waiting; what is important? God’s plan is being put into motion whether we can see it or not. His promises will be delivered to us, in the proper time. So hang in there. They that wait upon the Lord get to exchange strength with Him.
