Are you waiting for something right now? Maybe you’re waiting to hear back from a new job. Or waiting for updates on a diagnosis. Maybe you’re just in a season of waiting–waiting to find a spouse, or waiting to get pregnant. Let’s face it, whether you’re in a waiting period right now or not, you will find yourself waiting at some point in life.
So what do we do when we find ourselves in these seasons? How do we stay faithful to the Lord while we wait for His answers?
Let’s dive into the Word together to answer these questions.
Read: Luke 1:5-7, 11-16, 23-25
5 In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron. 6 Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commands and decrees blamelessly. 7 But they were childless because Elizabeth was not able to conceive, and they were both very old.
11 Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. 12 When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. 13 But the angel said to him: “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. 14 He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, 15 for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born. 16 He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. 17 And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”
23 When his time of service was completed, he returned home. 24 After this his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and for five months remained in seclusion. 25 “The Lord has done this for me,” she said. “In these days he has shown his favor and taken away my disgrace among the people.”
Zechariah and Elizabeth lived in the time between the exile of the Israelites and Jesus’ birth. During these 400 years of silence, there were no prophets and no scripture writing. I imagine generations of families slowly stopped reading the scriptures, slowly stopped teaching their children about God, and slowly stopped believing He was going to make all things right. And yet, at the very end of these 400 years, we find this couple, not only waiting for the Messiah but also waiting for a child of their own. Yet instead of anger and bitterness at God, we read that they “were righteous in the sight of God.” We also read that they observed all the Lord’s commands. And the only way to observe all the Lord’s commands is to know His commands, which means they must have continued reading and studying the scriptures. Zechariah was also a priest, so he would have spent hours each day with other believers in God.
These two things are the critical components of staying faithful in the waiting. When we continue reading the word, even when we are waiting and it feels like God isn’t working, we remind ourselves over and over again of the goodness, faithfulness, and encouragement of God. When we surround ourselves with other believers, we can lean on one another and help carry each other’s burdens.
It’s possible that your waiting might never end the way that Zechariah and Elizabeth’s did. We might not ever see the promise of our waiting come to fruition while we are on this side of heaven, but we can trust the good Father by staying faithful in His word and in His community. There, though answers aren’t readily found, we are able to rest in the hands of a loving and comforting heavenly Father.
Questions:
- Have you ever found yourself giving up on God while you wait?
- What scripture verses encourage you while you wait?
- Do you have a community of believers that help carry your burden while you wait?
- If you’re doing this study with friends, share a time when you were in a waiting season and the things that helped you through it. How did God respond to your waiting?
