What have you been praying about recently? Have your prayers been bold?

Imagine how many times Zechariah and Elizabeth had prayed for a child. Then, look how stunned they were when their prayer was answered, not in their timing but God’s.

I’m going to make a confession. I tend to live life too defensively. Perhaps I’ve been around too many people who have dreamt dreams quite a bit larger than life only to have those dreams disappear in the harsh light of reality. There was a time when I thought I would write a book titled The Power of Negative Thinking — Or a Way to Never Have Dreams Crushed Is to Never Have Dreams.

There has to be a creative middle ground between the naive optimism of a health-and-wealth gospel at one extreme and the negativism of a lifeless traditional­ism that doesn’t expect anything fresh and vital from God.

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Over my 29 years here as your pastor, we have had prayer teams and individual elders who have prayed for scores of people by name. We have endeavored not to raise false hopes by declaring that God answers prayer in His time and in His way. I think that that is responsible teaching. We dare not use that as a defensive mechanism, however, to put limits on what God can do and then find ourselves surprised when God actually grants a specific request, which we made in prayer.

Let’s not be so stunned when God answers our prayers. I can look back and document time after time when God has been faithful. I can also describe to you many occasions on which God simply has not answered my prayer in the way I want­ed it answered. It doesn’t mean He’s not heard the prayer. I need to be increasingly alert to understand the ways that God goes beyond my ways. He, at times, has closed and actually locked doors that I have done everything in my power to force open. Now I can look back and see His ways are better than my ways. That is why we need to take the time to be still and know that He is God.

Zechariah and Elizabeth teach us that our God is a God of surprises.

Third: A word to leaders — God expects us to be men and women of maturing faith!

Zechariah was a clergy person. He was a paid religious professional. He was faithful in carrying out the functions that were assigned to him in the temple worship. Apparently, he wasn’t accustomed to hear­ing the Word of God as it applied itself in a highly personal way to himself. How tragic it is when we see a person who should be noted for their faith in the Lord, stumble in disobedience. We observed some classic cases of that in our culture during the last few years, haven’t we?

When God, through the Angel Gabriel, spoke specifically to Zechariah, Zechariah became confused. He doubted. He spoke back these words, “How will I know that this is so? For I am an old man, and my wife is getting on in years” (Luke 1:18). Gabriel answered, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the pres­ence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. But now, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time, you will become mute, unable to speak, until the day these things occur” (1:19-20).

Sometimes God has to use severe meth­ods to get our attention, especially those who lead. If we don’t shut up for a while and listen, God may have to shut us up. There need to be times of renewal. There need to be times of reflection and contemplation.

I envy that segment of the Roman Catholic Holy Orders which are referred to as the “contemplatives.” These monks, such as Thomas Merton, take vows of silence. Some of us would benefit from at least periods of silence, times in which we stop our talking, our ceaseless babbling, so as to drink from those deep, cool, refreshing springs of spiritual water, which the Lord yearns to provide. Do you take a Sabbath? Do you plan vacation time that ministers to the soul? Do you stop your pursuits long enough to “be still and know that Thou art God”?

Remember this. No matter how old or young you are, you are meant to be sent. Be willing to be surprised by God. Open yourself to a maturing faith that enables you to be continually used by God! 

John A. Huffman is Senior Pastor of St. Andrews Presbyterian Church in Newport Beach, CA, and a Contributor Editor of Preaching.