Answered Prayers

“My words will certainly come true at the proper time.” Luke 1:20

These were the words of the Angel Gabriel to the Jewish priest Zechariah. While Zechariah was burning incense inside the sanctuary by himself, an angel appeared to him. The angel announced that the prayers of Zechariah and his wife Elizabeth has been heard and Elizabeth, even in her old age, would bear a son. 

There are many stories in the Bible about women who were barren, who received intervention from God, and were given a son. There’s Elizabeth who was too old to bear children, Zorah who gave birth to Samson, Rebekah, Sarah, Hannah, and Rachel. Each of these women turned to God in their brokenness and hopelessness. 

Sometimes, when we have this desire in our heart, it is God who placed it there.  It may be that we want a baby, a business, a husband, a mission, an inclination to live somewhere else. First, we need to come before God like these barren women did. To birth a dream, we need God’s power and grace. It’s not all about what we want, but we need to work with God, to ask Him to bless us. As Jesus prayed, “Your will be done.” 

Jesus tells many secrets about how to ask God for what we want. In John 15:7, He says we have to have a personal, intimate relationship with Him. We have to be friends. Naturally, if we are friends with God, He will want to answer our prayers! “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.” 

Another secret is in Mark 11:23, “You shall have what you say...” Let us continue to confess good things for ourselves and our loved ones. Let us not complain, predict dire consequences, or put others down. Let only good things come out of the abundance of our hearts. We can be sure that our words will certainly come true at the proper time!