20Now behold, you will be and will continue to be silent and not able to speak till the day when these things take place, because you have not believed what I told you; but my words are of a kind which will be fulfilled in the appointed and proper time. (AMP)
20 "And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their proper time." (NIV)
This spoke volumes to me about waiting and God's timing. I am sure Zechariah who was a priest and served in the temple and his wife Elizabeth had cried out to God many times about thier desire for a child. But they gave up on that after they reached certain ages. How many times do we pray unceasingly about something and then when we dont' see results we just give up? And yes logically Zechariah must have thought we are too old. And yet God in His perfect timing showed them that uh, uh. His times and plans are perfect and right.
Of course the context of this passage is the Angel Gabriel's visit to Zechariah to tell him that he and his wife Elizabeth were going to have a son. That son was John who was the forerunner for Jesus. Now Zechariah and Elizabeth were beyond childbearing years. So Zechariah, like I think most of us would in his shoes, asks how this could be. So the verse above is part of Gabriel's response to Zechariah's questioning. I liked that Gabriel said what was promised would be fulfilled "in the appointed and proper time". Not when Zechariah wanted it but "in the appointed and proper time". **Side note, if you get a chance go and look at verse 19! Gabriel was less than thrilled that Zechariah didn't believe his words and had good reason to be miffed.
So if you are in "wait mode". Be encouraged and know that God is always on time and is working out all the little details. While you are waiting continue to seek His will asking and making sure what you are desiring or waiting on is His will for you and not what you want or desire. I love this prayer of a missionary to India from the 1800's when he was wrestling with waiting: "Lord make your will my will. And let all else fall away."
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