Preparing for the Messiah - Day 12
Faithful in the Waiting
Luke 1:5–7 (KJV)
“There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth. And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. And they had no child, because that Elisabeth was barren, and they both were now well stricken in years.”
Introduction
Before the angel ever appeared,
before the promise of a son was spoken,
before John the Baptist entered the world—
there was waiting.
Long waiting.
Painful waiting.
Confusing, silent, hope-stretching waiting.
Zacharias and Elisabeth lived faithfully in a season where the one thing they prayed for had not yet been given.
Their story begins not with a miracle,
but with a testimony:
They were righteous. They were faithful. They kept walking.
Even when their prayers seemed unanswered.
Reflection
“They had no child… and they both were now well stricken in years.”
These words carry years of tears, disappointment, and surrender.
But Scripture highlights something remarkable:
Their faithfulness outlasted their desire.
They didn’t serve God only when life felt full.
They served Him when life felt empty.
Some of God’s most beautiful work happens in seasons when nothing seems to be happening at all.
Seasons when we:
pray without seeing results
obey without understanding
trust without immediate answers
continue forward without clarity
worship with both hope and ache in our hearts
Zacharias and Elisabeth remind us that God is not ignoring our waiting—
He is shaping us in it.
Their long wait did not disqualify them.
It prepared them for a miracle greater than they imagined—
a child who would prepare the world for Jesus.
Today, reflect on the waiting in your own life.
Where is God asking you to remain faithful?
Where does He want you to keep walking, praying, and trusting…
even when you feel “well stricken in years”?
God’s silence is not His absence.
His timing is always purposeful.
Prayer
Lord Jesus,
Thank You for the example of Zacharias and Elisabeth —
faithful in the waiting, steady in obedience.
Strengthen my heart to trust You in the places where answers seem delayed.
Teach me to remain faithful even when I do not yet see the full picture.
Prepare me for what You are forming in this season.
Amen.
Journal Prompt
What “waiting season” are you currently walking through?
How might God be shaping your faith in this time?
What does steady obedience look like for you today?