Appointed Answers

Luke 1 verse 20, Gabriel has just told Zechariah that God has heard his prayers and that he and his wife Elizabeth who are old in age are now going to have a child. Zechariah’s immediate response is not one of excitement but it’s one of doubt because his wife is past the age of having children.
Gabriel then tells him that’s he’s gonna be unable to speak until the day these things take place, because he didn’t believe the news from God which Gabriel had told him.
Then Gabriel says something I love! He says, “My words are of a kind which will be fulfilled in the appointed and proper time.
This means that what God says is gonna happen, is gonna happen, but not is it just gonna happen… it’s gonna happen in the PROPER time. In the appointed time!
To us the right time to have a child would be between 20 and 35. And some may even have a greater window but we would all agree that the best time would be while the woman is still able to conceive! Other than that it’s impossible and we tend to assume that God has said no when our request and petitions haven’t been granted within our window of possibility.
Most people would stop praying for a child once they‘ve past the age of conceiving one, and I’m sure this is what Zechariah did because if he’d still been praying for this to happen, he wouldn’t have been so surprised and full of doubt when he was told it was gonna happen.
We believe for things when we’re in the season of prayer for them. But we have to remember that when the season is over, our petitions before God don’t turn into a history book in heaven!
I went into a new doctors office this week and requested to see the doctor. It didn’t happen that day but the office said, ”let me make you an appointment.” That meant that though it didn’t happen right then, and though I wasn’t getting what I went for right when I asked for it, it was still on it’s way because it was given an appointed time.
There are things we ask God for that he immediately makes an appointment for.
That’s why the Bible shows us in this story that when God decides on something to happen that he gives the word for it to happen and gives it an appointed and proper time!
Even though God was granting Zechariah’s request, Zechariah was made unable to speak until it happened because of unbelief. I don’t know about you but I want to keep believing for the things that I’ve brought before the Lord in prayer! The loved ones that I’ve prayed for God to save and yet they seem to get further and further. The healing that I believe has been promised and yet it doesn’t seem as if it’s getting any better. I don’t want my mouth shut due to unbelief. Instead I want to be anticipating so that when it’s appointment day arrives I can tell every body I know what the Lord has done. It may seem like your time has passed but remember that our ways are not His ways because His ways are higher. He’s got the full calendar of all time and we only have a few years worth. Trust today that God has heard you and he’s marked on his calendar the appointment for what you’ve requested. Though that answer to your request seems late, that’s because God appointed it to be a miracle, and miracles bring more glory to God than a request that was possible while it was still inside of your box!