[Luke 1:11] “11 An angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the altar of incense.”
- The meaning of the word angel in Greek is messenger. God uses His angels to send messages and to employ service, executing God’s will [Hebrews 1:14], for His saints.
[Luke 1:12] “12 When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and overcome with fear.”
- The word fear is not used in a negative sense. It is in reference to Zechariah being in awe of the angel’s glory and power, having an awesome splendor.
- Zechariah being startled suggests that God at times will speak to you when least expected.
[Luke 1:13] “13 But the angel said to him: Do not be afraid, Zechariah, because your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will name him John.”
- Zechariah’s prayer was answered the first time he prayed for his wife to bear him a child. His prayers began early in life as verse 18 reveals, that Zechariah and his wife were advanced in age for childbearing. No doubt that Zechariah prayed that prayer continuously when he was young.
God responds to our request at the proper time, His timing, not ours, so that we may see His power work in our lives.
[Luke 1:14] “14 There will be joy and delight for you, and many will rejoice at his birth.”
- The joy of Zechariah would be magnified due to God’s timing in giving him a son, knowing that his son would herald the Messiah, God in human form.
If you are praying and feel God is not hearing you, don’t give up, for He has something great for you if you don’t lose heart.
[Luke 1:15] “15 For he will be great in the sight of the Lord and will never drink wine or beer. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit while still in his mother’s womb.”
- John, the son of Zechariah, had such an important role that he was given the Holy Spirit before he was born. He was being protected and for his spiritual development to bring people back to God through repentance.
- The mandate for John not to drink wine or beer refers to having his life dedicated to God for a specific purpose. In the law of Moses, when a person dedicated himself to God’s use, he would take a Nazirite vow. There were things you couldn’t do until your dedication to God was completed. One of the things was to stay away from wine and beer [Numbers 6:1-4].
Spiritual Minefield 