Judges 13:2-7. 24-25 / Luke 1:5-25
We pray because we believe that God hears and answers our prayers.
And because our prayers have been answered, our faith in God is deepened and strengthened.
And so we continue to put our faith and trust in God in our time of need.
But prayer can be rather challenging when it comes to difficult circumstances.
Zachariah’s wife, Elizabeth, was barren and getting on in years, and he was also an old man.
Though Zachariah prayed for a child, his hopes were fading and his prayer for a child became a routine.
And as he was offering incense at the Temple, the angel Gabriel appeared to him and told him that his prayer was heard and that Elizabeth is to bear a son and he must name him John.
But Zachariah found it hard to believe that it could happen.
Time has eroded his hopes and possibilities have faded off.
Advent is a time of prayer and a renewal of our faith in God who hears our prayers.
May we come to realise that what seems impossible to us is not impossible for God.