Appointed Time

“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 appointed time.” - Luke 1:20

Do you remember the old question, “If a tree falls in a forest and no one is there to hear it, does it make a sound?” That is easy to answer. It does make a sound, because God hears everything. Zechariah and Elizabeth had been praying for decades for a child. They had waited…and waited…and waited. When God answered, He didn’t just give them what they had asked for…He gave them more than they could have ever hoped or imagined.

In Luke 1:13-17, an angel visited Zechariah to bring him the good news. He said their son would be filled with the Holy Spirit in his mother’s womb. Their child would never know a day without the Spirit of God. All the years of their childless sadness would be replaced with unimaginable joy because their son would turn many in Israel back to the Lord.

The final words the angel spoke to Zechariah must not be missed. He said, “Which will come true at their appointed time.” God had this day marked before Elizabeth and Zechariah were even born. He had been listening to every prayer; and He had been moving in the events of the world, in the hearts of the rulers in power to bring both Zechariah and Elizabeth and Israel to this point in time – the appointed time.

This baby, John, was going to be the forerunner for the Messiah that was promised thousands of years before. It was God’s plan all along. God fulfills His plan by keeping His promises. God’s plan for the world, and for our lives, is to keep His promise to send His Savior twice – once to redeem us, and once to rule over us. The first promise has already been fulfilled. And now we wait with hope and eager expectation for Christ’s return.

Father, Thank You for always keeping Your promises at the appointed times. Help me to trust Your timing in all things.

In Jesus’ Name, Amen.