When prayers go unanswered, faith can turn to disbelief and hope to scepticism. On the other hand, God can intervene at unexpected moments, providing unexpected answers, as happened in Zechariah’s life.
In the first chapter of the Gospel bearing his name, Luke recounts the events preceding the birth of Jesus Christ through the story of John the Baptist’s parents. Zechariah and Elizabeth were an elderly couple who longed for children but were unable to have them. This was not because God had not blessed them, nor because they had done something wrong—on the contrary, they are both presented as righteous people before God. They prayed and waited, but as the years passed, they lost hope.
Having no children, they devoted themselves to their daily lives and their ministry. Zechariah, a descendant of Levi, was a priest “who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah” (Luke 1:5).[1] According to the organisation established in David’s time (1 Chronicles 24:7–19), the division of Abijah was the eighth of the twenty-four divisions that served in the Temple. Each group of priests served two non-consecutive weeks per year, in spring and autumn, except during major holidays, when all priests were called to assist. According to traditional calculations, Abijah’s first week was before Pentecost. Zechariah began his service immediately after the Sabbath and ended it the day after the second Sabbath. After this period of service and celebration in June, Zechariah could return home.[2]
From disbelief to praise
During his first week of service at the Temple, Zechariah was chosen by lot to bring incense into the Holy Place, a privilege granted to a priest only once in their lifetime.[3] How carefully Zechariah must have prepared for this moment! While the crowd prayed outside, Zechariah entered the first room of the Temple. He was alone in God’s presence, or so he thought.
While the fragrant smoke of the incense rose, Zechariah saw an unexpected presence to the right of the altar: the angel Gabriel. At the holiest moment of his ministry, God chose to deliver the news Zechariah had been waiting for all his life. Gabriel’s message, which provides details about the child’s future, is simple: “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. He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth” (Luke 1:13–14).
The prayer that he had uttered so many times and that seemed to have been forgotten, was now being answered when the old priest least expected it. His reaction, however, was surprising. Confronted with a divine miracle, he hesitated and asked, “How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years” (Luke 1:18). Presented with this miraculous sign, Zechariah incredulously requests another sign.
From a human point of view, his disbelief is understandable: he has waited his whole life, and now, when everything seems impossible, a heavenly vision offers him something that reason can no longer accept. The angel’s voice brings him back to reality: “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” (Luke 1:19). However, because he doubted God’s word, spoken right there in the Holy Place, Zechariah was to remain unable to speak until the birth of the promised child, John, later known as the Baptist. And so it happened: when he left the Temple, Zechariah signalled to the people that he could not speak. He returned home without saying so much as a word. The sign that Zechariah had asked for was himself. Nine months later, John the Baptist was born.[4]
Eight days after the promised child was born, when asked what to name him, Zechariah wrote on a tablet, “His name is John” (Luke 1:63). At that moment, “his mouth was opened and his tongue set free, and he began to speak, praising God” (verse 64). After nine months of silence, Zechariah’s first words were a song of praise and gratitude because John was to announce the Messiah, thus fulfilling divine promises.
A God who answers us
The story of Zechariah shows us how God’s mercy can transform fear and unbelief into recognition of the divine plan that transcends personal life. Like Zechariah, we may be disappointed by the lack of response to certain prayers. Day after day, year after year, God’s apparent silence in the face of our requests can erode our trust in Him. When we do not receive an answer to what we believe will bring us fulfilment, our trust in God becomes merely intellectual assent to the truths we accept. This mental assent can subtly mask scepticism about divine interventions when they do not happen when and how we expect them to. This latent distrust can even coexist with religious activities, as Zechariah’s situation illustrates.
Fortunately, God is not limited by our expectations. He knows better than we do what will give us deep fulfilment. God’s angels continue to proclaim that Jesus Christ was incarnated, lived, died, and rose again for us. However, it is possible for us to accept these truths on an intellectual level only, without trusting that Jesus Christ is our Saviour and that He became incarnate so that we might have abundant life. Let us strive to go beyond intellect and believe that the life He offers us is one that matters, has value, and gives us meaning beyond this world: eternal life. When received with faith, this good news transforms unbelief into gratitude.
Dan-Adrian Petre is convinced that although we may sometimes find ourselves in the midst of unbelief, God still draws near to introduce us to Jesus and communicate that only the Messiah can transform our scepticism into hope.
