Prayer Study Week Six Lesson Two

 “Zechariah and Elizabeth”

We are so blessed to be able to approach God and when we approach Him with the right attitude of who He is and who we are in relationship to Him, we can lay our requests out before Him. It’s ok to tell Him what is on our hearts.  We are responding to God in prayer with our requests by asking Him to give us His best for the need we have. 

Let’s begin our lesson today by reading about a couple who had a huge request of God. Read Luke 1:5-25. Summarize what happened to Zechariah and Elizabeth: 

I wanted us to look at this story of Zechariah and Elizabeth because their story represents the requests we all make. Their request was a deep desire for a child. They had done everything right and I’m sure they were growing weary in their plea for a child. The desire for a child can be one of the most painful things. The emotions involved run from great expectation to great sorrow as time goes on and there is no child to hold and love. 

Mike and I wanted a child so desperately and were told we would possibly never conceive. So, this story in Scripture is one that I can relate too. No matter what your greatest need, God knows already. But, we must approach Him in response to His will for us. This isn’t giving up ~ it is giving into the ultimate and perfect will of the Father.

Meet Zech and Beth

Meet Zechariah and Elizabeth, a very special couple that God had chosen to fulfill His will. They were a couple who loved God and served Him faithfully even though it seemed like they would never receive their deepest desire ~ a child. Let us look at them on a personal level. Just for fun, I’ll call them Zech and Beth to illustrate how human they really were. Just like you and me, they had a past, a present and a future. They had hopes and dreams. They had human bodies that grow older and fail. They had relationships and family. They had jobs and a home. They were people, created by God with a great need for His intervention. 

Read Luke 1:5-7. What did Zech do for a living?

What family line did he belong to?

Who was Beth?

What was her family line?

What kind of people were they?

What were they lacking?

How old were they?

By looking at their lives, what can we surmise about their deepest desire? 

 

Zech was a priest from the priestly division of Abijah. That means that he was a faithful servant of the Most High God and he was one of many in his family who had served God. Abijah was a direct descendant from the line of Aaron, the first priest appointed by God. (Aaron was the older brother of Moses). So for many, many years the family line of Abijah served God faithfully as priests. You could say that Zech was in the family business. Having a child to carry on the family line was very important to him.

Beth was also from the family line of Aaron, the first priest. She too was part of the family business and supported her husband in his priestly duties. We could probably call her a preacher’s wife. Being a preacher’s wife is not an easy role. You are under a lot of scrutiny and I’m sure she was the brunt of many a wagging tongue. Being in the public eye so-to-speak and being barren, must have been very difficult. Having a child was a major thing for women of that day. So Beth wanted and needed God to answer her prayer.

Divine Interruption

Read Luke 1:8-10. What was Zech chosen to do? 

What was happening outside the temple? 

Zech who was not a high priest, but rather one of the local priests that was chosen by “lot” (a means of deciding issue or determining the divine will in the matter) to serve in the temple. He was to go into the Most Holy Place of the synagogue and burn incense (representing the prayers offered). This was a sacred act on the part of the priest and he was offering it up for all those outside who were in prayer themselves. 

Read Luke 1:11-17. As Zech was going about his priestly duties inside the Most Holy Place, what happened? 

How did Zech respond?

What was the message that he received?

There was definitely a divine interruption that day for Zech. He was going about his business and God interrupted. That so often happens in the lives of those who follow Christ. We get so focused on the task we forget that God is present and wants to talk with us. Zech was startled and rightly so. I would be too if an angel appeared before me. But, it should be no surprise that God is present and wants to give us what we need from the unlimited resources of His love. 

Read Luke 1:18. What did Zech ask the angel?

Hey, it sounds like a good question to me. But, Zech was standing in the Most Holy Place. God sent His angel to give Him an answer to his prayers. (Maybe not exactly the way Zech had expected.) God knew his deepest longing and gave it to Zech at the perfect time. The child was to herald the coming of the Messiah. God was serious about this message to Zech just like He is serious about the message He has for you and me.

So often we don’t think that God knows enough about how things really are in our lives. We give Him all sorts of ideas and suggestions to help Him along. But, God does know what we need and when we can handle it. There is a divine order that often interrupts the lives of those who seek Him. God indeed wants to interrupt our lives so that He can show us His glory.

Read Luke 1:19-20. What was the angel’s response?

God accomplished His blessing while manifesting the weakness of Zech as a human. He took away all hope according to human principles so that all hope would be found in God and that He would be glorified. Zech’s faith did not measure up to the height of his prayers. Was he just praying and not believing? Who knows? All we know is that God did indeed answer Zech’s prayer in a way that poor old Zech could never have imagined.

Read Luke 1:21-22. Who was waiting for Zech?

What were they wondering?

What happened when they found that Zech couldn’t speak?

God was not punishing Zech, but kept him silent in order for the people praying outside could see that God had spoken to Zech. Maybe if Zech would speak, then he would try to explain God’s actions instead of allowing the power of the Holy Spirit to be displayed through Beth’s pregnancy when it became evident.

God often works the same way in our lives. He gives us His answer to our deepest needs in His time. This is so hard to understand, but we wouldn’t want it any other way. God’s way is the best way. It’s not always the easiest way or the most convenient way. God gives us what we truly need, not necessarily what we really want. There is a difference.

Beth’s Response

Read Luke 1:23-25. What happened when Zech’s time of service at the synagogue was over?

What was Beth’s response when she found out that she was pregnant?

When Zech went home after serving at the temple, Beth became pregnant. She stayed in seclusion for any number of reasons, but her response to what was happening to her is the perfect response to an answered prayer. “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.”

We can all learn something from Beth’s response. She recognized the source of her delight. God answered her in a way she could never have imagined. God had indeed taken away her disgrace and blessed her with a child. God may not answer us in the time and way we see fit, but He does hear us and He does answer us according to His will.

Zech and Beth’s Baby 

Read Luke 1: 57-66. Answer the following:

What happened when Beth gave birth and the baby was circumcised eight days later?

What did they name the child? 

How did Zech answer the people who were asking him about the child’s name?

What happened when Zech wrote out the name John?

What did the people do?

Zech’s tongue was loosed when he wrote out the baby’s name ~ “John”. The name “John” means “the favor of the Lord.” The favor of the Lord is the source for true joy and gladness. Zech praised God like no other time. When God loosened his lips because Zech had bowed to the perfect will of the Father, he was restored. The same is true for you and me. When we bow to the perfect will of God, He can work in us in extraordinary ways. Why do we ever want our own way, when we know that what God desires for us is to show us His favor? His favor is our source for true joy and gladness.

Prayer Time

Go to your Prayer Journal and present your requests to God. Humble yourself before Him and ask Him to fill your needs according to His plan. Accept the favor of the Lord.

Discussion Questions

1. You are blessed to be able to approach God and when you approach Him with the right attitude of who He is and who you are in relationship to Him, you can lay your requests before Him. Do you feel that you can ask God anything? Why or why not?

2. God does know what you need and when you can handle it. There is a divine order that often interrupts the lives of those who seek Him. God indeed wants to interrupt your life so that He can show you His glory. What are your thoughts about God’s divine interruption in your life? 

3. God accomplished His blessing while manifesting the weakness of Zech as a human. He took away all hope according to human principles so that all hope would be found in Him and that He would be glorified. How has God answered some of your prayers in ways you didn’t expect