Laurie Hopkins

There had been 400 years of silence from God following the Old Testament book of Malachi.  

And then the silence was broken. Zacharias and Elizabeth were righteous before God.  

They prayed for a child.  

And yet Elizabeth was barren and they were both well advanced in years.  

When Zacharias went to burn incense before the Lord in the temple, he encountered an angel of the Lord, who delivered a message to him.  

“For your prayer is heard.” 

Zacharias and Elizabeth were both well advanced in years; 

it is safe to assume that they had been praying for a child for some time. 

The Bible says they were righteous before God.  

Why then did God not answer their prayers earlier? 

This is the question we often find ourselves asking.  

Why hasn’t God answered my prayers?  

I am in a solid relationship with Him, I’m doing the work He has called me to, why then are my prayers going unanswered?  

We often wonder if God even hears those prayers.  

“For your prayer is heard.” 

Zacharias and Elizabeth wanted a child, but God had a plan, a perfect plan, for them to have a specific child in a specific time.  

That child would go ahead of Jesus to prepare the people for the coming of the Lord. 

The angel was clear, “for your prayer is heard.” 

It wasn’t that God didn’t hear or acknowledge their prayer, but the timing of the answer had to fit into his perfect plan.  

So now, in their well advanced years they would have a son.  

It may not have looked exactly as they had pictured it, but God heard their prayers and their prayers were answered. In the same way God has heard your prayers. 

The answer will come in time, God’s perfect time.  

It may or may not look the way you imagined it. 

But it will be in line with God’s perfect plan for your life.  

Be encouraged today – 

“For your prayer is heard.”

Today is the beginning of Lent. Beginnings are interesting things. 

Everything has a beginning. 

When we think about Lent leading up to Easter, we might see today as a beginning.  

However, the journey to Easter started much earlier than the beginning of Lent.  

We read in John that the Word was already in the beginning.  

He was present before the foundation of the world. Jesus, the Word, transcends all beginnings. 

Like beginnings, plans are interesting things. 

Every plan starts somewhere.  

We read in Revelation that the Lamb was slain before the foundation of the world.  

The Divine plan for, for the Lamb of God (Jesus), to die willingly on the cross, taking on our sins, so we may be righteous in Him before God, allowing us to walk in eternal relationship with the Father, was made and carried out before the earth was even created.  

The plan of God preceded not only us, but the very foundation of the world.  

If we think of beginnings and plans in the natural we understand that everything has a beginning and starts somewhere.  

What we need to understand is that there is more to life than what we see in the natural.  

Jesus transcends all beginnings and the plans that took Him to the cross at Easter were not only made but carried out before creation even began.  

What a privilege it is to worship Jesus together throughout this Easter season; 

the One that transcends time, beginnings and all plans that are to go forth. 

My prayer for us as we journey through Lent together is that we will commit to this time in the Word, that we would open ourselves us to go deeper into the Word and that we would come away more focused on our relationship with Jesus.  

Grab your Bible, a pen and paper and a cup of your favorite warm beverage and curl up in a comfy chair.  

Jesus is waiting.

Sometimes we are on the ball enough to realize the power of the words that roll off our tongues and out through our lips.  

We often, however, don’t think about our “inside voice”.  

The Psalmist asks the Lord not only that his words would be acceptable but the medication of his heart as well.  

The Psalmist was asking for an acceptable thought life.  

You know, those things that you think in your head and heart that are careful not to let slip out.  

We must remember that what is inside will slip outside at some point, no matter how careful we are.  It may come out in our words, but it also comes out in our tone, our attitude and our body language.  This may sound like a difficult task, to begin to control that inner thought life, however, the Psalmist reminds us that the Lord is our strength and our Redeemer.  

In His strength and through His redemption we are able to accomplish all things.  

So this week, instead of thinking,  

“oops, did I say that out loud” 

start also thinking, 

“oops, did I think that in my heart”. 

Your thought life is just a habit; start breaking the negativity in that habit today.