Amid the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season, there is at least one way time has ground to a halt for me this year. We are in the unfamiliar circumstance of seeking God’s next ministry assignment, but in most cases during this time of year churches are busy with Christmas celebrations and their pastor searches have been put on hold until after the first of the year.
Even those not involved in ministry searches know how it feels for life to seemingly stand still, and many of us experience times in our lives when it seems as though “nothing” is going on. There is never a time in our lives when “nothing” is happening, because God is always at work around us.
Zechariah and Elizabeth had prayed for years that God would give them a son, but now well beyond childbearing age they remained childless. You can read their story in Luke 1:5-25.
Zechariah was a priest and priests were divided in to 24 companies of 300-350 priests. Each company had the opportunity to serve in the Temple two weeks each year. About 50 priests were chosen each day to perform the various Temple tasks assigned to the priest, so over the course of a week each priest had the opportunity to do something in the Temple.
The plum assignment, however, was the opportunity given to 2 priests each day to enter the Holy Place and burn incense on the Altar of Incense. Lots were cast to determine who got the opportunity, and no one had the opportunity to do it more than once. Only 28 received this privilege each year and in his long life, Zechariah had never had the chance.
To summarize the story, the angel Gabriel appeared to Zechariah while he was in the Holy Place and assured him his prayer had been heard and that he and Elizabeth would have a child, even in their advanced years. Those were 5 powerful words in verse 13 – “your prayer has been heard.”
Chances are because of what seemed biological limitations, Zach and Liz had not prayed for a child in YEARS. It had seemed as though God had not heard their prayer, or at the very least He had answered “no.” It seemed NOTHING WAS HAPPENING. We know now though that God was working behind the scenes to show His glory at the right moment – in the fullness of time.
If there is something in your life for which you’ve been praying, if there is some circumstance in your life where it seems God refuses to work, rest assured, God is at work. At just the right moment – for your good and for HIS glory – God will act. He may not act in a way you ask or expect but He will act in the best way. Pray, trust, stay faithful, and look to the Lord. NOTHING IS NEVER HAPPENING in your life.