Bible Lesson: Answered Prayer:
Zechariah's Persistence In Prayer, Brings An Answer.
Subject Of Prayer: Priest
Zechariah, For Many Years, Had Prayed For A Son.
Bible Text:
Luke 1:5-17 NLT
5 When Herod was king of Judea,
there was a Jewish priest named Zechariah. He was a member of the
priestly order of Abijah, and his wife, Elizabeth, was also from the
priestly line of Aaron.
6 Zechariah and Elizabeth were
righteous in God’s eyes, careful to obey all of The Lord’s
commandments and regulations.
7 They had no children because
Elizabeth was unable to conceive, and they were both very old.
8 One day Zechariah was serving God
in the Temple, for his order was on duty that week.
9 As was the custom of the priests,
he was chosen by lot to enter the sanctuary of The Lord and burn
incense.
10 While the incense was being
burned, a great crowd stood outside, praying.
11 While Zechariah was in the
sanctuary, an Angel Of The Lord appeared to him, standing to the
right of the incense altar.
12 Zechariah was shaken and
overwhelmed with fear when he saw Him.
13 But The Angel said, “Don’t be
afraid, Zechariah! God has heard your prayer. Your wife, Elizabeth,
will give you a son, and you are to name him John.
14 You will have great joy and
gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth,
15 for he will be great in the eyes
of The Lord. He must never touch wine or other alcoholic drinks. He
will be filled with The Holy Spirit, even before his birth.
16 And he will turn many Israelites
to The Lord their God.
17 He will be a man with The Spirit
and power of Elijah. He will prepare the people for the coming of The
Lord. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and
he will cause those who are rebellious to accept the wisdom of the
godly.”
Of some 20,000
Jewish Priest at the time of Christ, The Angel Of The Lord, appeared
to only one, and that one was Zechariah.
Priestly rotation
of services fell upon some 24 different groups of Jewish Priests.
Abia, was Zechariah's order (I Chronicles 24).
Elisabeth was also
of the priestly order of Aaron.
Luke 1:6 NLT
Zechariah and Elizabeth were
righteous in God’s eyes, careful to obey all of The Lord’s
commandments and regulations.
Elisabeth and
Zechariah, were childless. Always praying always believing, knowing
well the story of Abraham and Sarah (Genesis 21), serving The
Lord in faithfulness, miracle or not.
Luke 1:7
NLT
“...Elizabeth was unable to conceive, and they were both very old.
“...Elizabeth was unable to conceive, and they were both very old.
And yet this day,
Zechariah had a special encounter with The Angel Of The Lord, who
promised him the birth of his son, who would be named John.
Ladies and
gentlemen, we pray, but The God Who Answers Prayer, answers in the
ways and times that pleases Him.
Alright, we have
the time, go back and read that again!
It has been said
and rightly so there at least three ways in which our Living God
answers prayers.
- Immediately
- In His determined time, and in His determined way.
- Or, refusal to answer our prayer because it not being found in His will.
For many years, it
was not the will of God, to grant Zechariah and Elisabeth, a son, but
that it was not His will to grant them a son, at all, was also not true.
Zechariah and
Elisabeth, kept believing, Zechariah and Elisabeth kept serving, and
left the rest up to
The Living God.
Hebrews 10:36
KJV
For ye have need of patience, that,
after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.
Ecclesiastes 3:1
KJV
To every thing there is a season,
and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
Luke 1:8-13 NLT
8 One day Zechariah was serving God
in the Temple, for his order was on duty that week.
9 As was the custom of the priests,
he was chosen by lot to enter the sanctuary of The Lord and burn
incense.
10 While the incense was being
burned, a great crowd stood outside, praying.
11 While Zechariah was in the
sanctuary, an Angel Of The Lord appeared to him, standing to the
right of the incense altar.
12 Zechariah was shaken and
overwhelmed with fear when he saw Him.
13 But The Angel said, “Don’t
be afraid, Zechariah! God has heard your prayer. Your wife,
Elizabeth, will give you a son, and you are to name him John.
Psalm 84:11 KJV
For The Lord God is a Sun and
Shield: The Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing will He
withhold from them that walk uprightly.
Romans 8:32 KJV
He that spared not His own Son, but
delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely
give us all things?
James 1:17 KJV
Every good gift and every perfect
gift is from above, and cometh down from The Father Of Lights, with
whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.
Dear fellow
Christian, we are the priests of The Living God. In these dark days
of rampant sin, may our faith shine brightly!
Revelation 1:6
KJV
And hath made us kings and priests
unto God and His Father; to Him be glory and dominion for ever and
ever. Amen.
Revelation 5:10
KJV
And hast made us unto our God kings
and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.
Psalm 132:9 KJV
Let thy priests be clothed with
righteousness; and let thy saints shout for joy.
Psalm 141:1,2
KJV
1 Lord, I cry unto thee: make haste
unto me; give ear unto my voice, when I cry unto thee.
2 Let my prayer be set forth before
thee as incense; and the lifting up of my hands as the evening
sacrifice.
The
God Who Answers Prayer:
Joshua 10:14
KJV
13 And the sun
stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people had avenged
themselves upon their enemies. Is not this written in the book of
Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hasted not
to go down about a whole day.
14 And there
was no day like that before it or after it, that The Lord hearkened
unto the voice of a man: for The Lord fought for Israel.
Nehemiah 9:27
KJV
in the time of
their trouble, when they cried unto thee, thou heardest them
I Chronicles
16:11 KJV
Seek The Lord
and His strength, seek His face continually.
Nehemiah 9:27
KJV
in the time of
their trouble, when they cried unto thee, thou heardest them
Job 22:27 KJV
Thou shalt make
thy prayer unto Him, and He shall hear thee..."
Psalm 6:9 KJV
The Lord hath
heard my supplication; The Lord will receive my prayer.
Psalm 55:17 KJV
Evening, and
morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and He shall hear
my voice.
Psalm 65:2 KJV
O thou that
hearest prayer, unto thee shall all flesh come.
Psalm 66:19 KJV
But verily God
hath heard me; He hath attended to the voice of my prayer.
Psalm 88:1,2 KJV
1 O lord God of
my Salvation, I have cried day and night before thee:
2 Let my prayer
come before thee: incline thine ear unto my cry;
Psalm 91:15 KJV
He shall call
upon Me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will
deliver him, and honor him.
Psalm 99:6,8 KJV
6 "...they
called upon the Lord, and he answered them.
8 Thou
answeredst them, O Lord our God: thou wast a God that forgavest
them..."
Psalm 102:17 KJV
He will regard
the prayer of the destitute, and not despise their prayer.
Psalm 122:6 KJV
Pray for the
peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee.
Proverbs 15:8,29
KJV
8 The sacrifice
of the wicked is an abomination to The Lord: but the prayer of the
upright is His delight.
29 The Lord is
far from the wicked: but He heareth the prayer of the righteous.
Isaiah 38:5 KJV
“...I have
heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears...”
Isaiah 56:7 KJV
"... for
Mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people.
Isaiah 58:9 KJV
Then shalt thou
call, and The Lord shall answer; thou shalt cry, and He shall say,
Here I am...:"
Isaiah 65;24 KJV
And it shall
come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they
are yet speaking, I will hear.
Jeremiah 29:13
KJV
And ye shall
seek Me, and find Me, when ye shall search for Me with all your
heart.
Jeremiah 33:3
KJV
Call unto Me,
and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which
thou knowest not.
Zechariah 13:9
KJV
And I will
bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver
is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on My
name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is My people: and they
shall say, The Lord is my God.
Joel 2:32 KJV
And it shall
come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of The Lord shall
be delivered..."
Matthew 5:44 KJV
But I say unto
you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them
that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and
persecute you;
Matthew 6:6 KJV
But thou, when
thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy
door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which
seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.
Matthew 7:7,8
KJV
7 Ask, and it
shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be
opened unto you:
8 For every one
that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that
knocketh it shall be opened.
Matthew 18:19,20
KJV
19 Again I say
unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any
thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of My Father
which is in heaven.
20 For where
two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I in the
midst of them.
Matthew 21:22
KJV
And all things,
whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.
Matthew 26:41
KJV
Watch and pray,
that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but
the flesh is weak.
Mark 11:24,25
KJV
24 Therefore I
say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe
that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.
25 And when ye
stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your
Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.
Luke 11:9,10 KJV
9 And I say
unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find;
knock, and it shall be opened unto you.
10 For every
one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him
that knocketh it shall be opened.
Luke 18:1,7,8
KJV
1 And He spake
a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and
not to faint;
7 "...don’t
you think God will surely give justice to His chosen people who cry
out to Him day and night? Will He keep putting them off?
8 I tell you,
He will grant justice to them quickly! But when The Son Of Man
returns, how many will He find on the earth who have faith?”
Luke 21:36 KJV
Watch ye
therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape
all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before The Son
Of Man.
John 14:13,14
KJV
13 And
whatsoever ye shall ask in My name, that will I do, that The Father
may be glorified in The Son.
14 If ye shall
ask any thing in My name, I will do it.
John 15:7,16 KJV
7 If ye abide
in Me, and My words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it
shall be done unto you.
16 Ye have not
chosen Me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go
and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that
whatsoever ye shall ask of The Father in My name, He may give it you.
John 16:23,24
KJV
23 And in that
day ye shall ask Me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you,
Whatsoever ye shall ask
The Father in
My name, he will give it you.
24 Hitherto
have ye asked nothing in My name: ask, and ye shall receive, that
your joy may be full.
Romans 10:12
KJV
For there is no
difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all
is rich unto all that call upon Him.
Ephesians 2:18
KJV
For through Him
we both have access by one Spirit unto The Father.
Ephesians 6:18
KJV
Praying always
with all prayer and supplication in The Spirit, and watching
thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;
Philippians 4:6
NLT
Don’t worry
about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you
need, and thank Him for all He has done.
Colossians 4:2
NLT
Devote
yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart.
I Thessalonians
5:17 KJV
Pray without
ceasing.
I Timothy 2:8
KJV
I will
therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without
wrath and doubting.
Hebrews 4:16 KJV
Let us
therefore come boldly unto The Throne Of Grace, that we may obtain
mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
Hebrews 10:19
KJV
Having
therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by The Blood
Of Jesus,
James 1:6 KJV
But let him ask
in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of
the sea driven with the wind and tossed.
James 4:8 KJV
Draw nigh to
God, and he will draw nigh to you
James
5:13-16 KJV
13 Is any among
you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms.
14 Is any sick
among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them
pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of The Lord:
15 And the
prayer of faith shall save the sick, and The Lord shall raise him up;
and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.
16 Confess your
faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be
healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth
much.
I Peter 4:7 KJV
But the end of
all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer.
I John 3:22 KJV
And whatsoever
we ask, we receive of Him, because we keep His commandments, and do
those things that are pleasing in His sight.
I John 5:14,15
KJV
14 And this is
the confidence that we have in Him, that, if we ask any thing
according to His will, He heareth us:
15 And if we
know that He hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the
petitions that we desired of Him.
Revelation 8:3-5 NLT (Prayers heard and kept)
3 Then another
angel with a gold incense burner came and stood at the altar. And a
great amount of incense was given to him to mix with the prayers of
God’s people as an offering on the gold altar before the throne.
4 The smoke of
the incense, mixed with the prayers of God’s holy people, ascended
up to God from the altar where the angel had poured them out.
5 Then the
angel filled the incense burner with fire from the altar..."
