There were 400 years of silence before Jesus came to Earth to fulfill God's plan of rescuing us. The book of Isaiah predicts this time when the people were drowning so much in sin, that their sacrifices no longer covered the cost. It became a cycle of disobedience to God and meaningless sacrifice. Repentance was a lost concept which is to recognize sin and turn away from it.
This was a dark time on Earth. A time when people were walking away from God and choosing to live without him. Their hearts became filled with the desires of the world instead of the desires of God. Each generation walked further away from him. It's important to note that God never walks away from us. We choose to leave him.
And here we lived without God. No holy spirit to guide our choices. We became lost without direction. God created man and everything on the Earth. Who are we to know how to breathe without the direction of the one who created it? Our lives depend on God.
Isaiah 1:15 reads," So when you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide My eyes from you; yes, even though you offer many prayers, I will not be listening. Your hands are covered with blood. "
This verse is heavy. It scares me beyond words. This lasted for four hundred years.
Four. Hundred. Years.
I can't even get through one minor inconvenience without God let alone four hundred years. That's a long time to wander in life lost. It's an incredibly long time for God to not hear our prayers. Remember this was a human choice. God never moved from us. We walked away from him.
Amid this silence, there was a couple named Elizabeth and Zechariah. Their hearts desired for a baby. They prayed. They waited. And yet she remained barren.
Days passed. Weeks passed. Years passed. They prayed the same prayer to no avail. Though it is not directly written, I imagine there were tears shed, emotions were high, and all the signs of grief for a child that would never come were felt. Eventually, the couple was past childbearing years. They were old. They had accepted their life would only include the two of them.
Life goes on. One day Zechariah goes into the temple. It was just another ordinary day for him. It was an extraordinary day for mankind. Gabriel, an angel of God appears to him.
And then out of the silence, comes a powerful message. Gabriel says, "Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard ....(Luke 1: 13)"
The Lord has heard your prayer.
400 years of silence. A time when God turned his eyes from prayer. Too much time had passed. It shouldn't have been possible....but God heard their prayer.
God's answer to prayer is anything but ordinary. Not only would he give them a baby, but they would raise John the Baptist. The answer to their prayer would grow up called to set in motion a greater plan. He would prepare the way for the Savior to come. He would be used by God to fulfill prophecy, to soften hearts and open eyes so that the Messiah could be received.
400 years of silence ended with a prayer.
There may be times when you cry out to God, and you feel it doesn't go further than the ceiling. Pray anyway. It may be your prayer that sets a part of his greater plan in motion.
Still, there will be times you won't feel heard. Pray anyway.
There will be times it seems impossible. Pray anyway.
There will be times when you have no words. Pray anyway.
God will hear your prayer and in his perfect timing, his answer will come. His answer may not be your answer, but his answer for your life will be far greater than anything you could ever ask for yourself.
Pray anyway.
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