Dreams Restored – Luke 1:5-25

An NFL player injured and permanently out of pro football after his first game tells how to recover from a crushed dream.  Matt Mayberry says, (1) face the facts, (2) don’t overanalyze, (3) surrender, and (4) accept.  Is that what Zechariah and Elizabeth did when their dream of having children seemed crushed?

In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, of the division of Abijah. And he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. And they were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord. But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were advanced in years.

 Now while he was serving as priest before God when his division was on duty, according to the custom of the priesthood, he was chosen by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense. And the whole multitude of the people were praying outside at the hour of incense. And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. And Zechariah was troubled when he saw him, and fear fell upon him. But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great before the Lord. And he must not drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb. And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.”

 And Zechariah said to the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years.” And the angel answered him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. And behold, you will be silent and unable to speak until the day that these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time.” And the people were waiting for Zechariah, and they were wondering at his delay in the temple. And when he came out, he was unable to speak to them, and they realized that he had seen a vision in the temple. And he kept making signs to them and remained mute. And when his time of service was ended, he went to his home.

 After these days his wife Elizabeth conceived, and for five months she kept herself hidden, saying, “Thus the Lord has done for me in the days when he looked on me, to take away my reproach among people.”  (Luke 1:5-25 ESV)

The announcement of John the Baptist’s birth reveals three things to us:

1) John’s life as a prophet (filled with the Spirit from birth) was designed like Malachi said of Elijah, who was to come before the advent of Messiah, to turn the people back to God in preparation for Messiah’s coming.

2) Zechariah and Elizabeth had given up on their dream of having a child and were no longer praying for a child, as evidenced by Zechariah’s lack of faith when the angel announced the birth to him.  Despite this fact, the angel said God was answering their prayer, a gracious response given their failure to believe.

3) God was fulfilling their dream in a way they did not approve of or expect, giving them a child when they were so old that they would likely not see him married with children.  But God fulfilled their dream in a more marvelous way than they could have imagined, with a son who would announce the Messiah.

Never give up trusting God for the things you long for, but be ready for Him to grant your dreams in ways you didn’t anticipate and in ways more beautiful than you could have conceived.