Don’t Waste Your Waiting (Luke 1:5-25)

Luke 1:5-25

 The text can be read HERE.

Introduction 

Advent allows us to think about the place that waiting has in our lives.

Waiting is one of the hardest things we’re called to do. It’s frustrating, disorienting, and often painful. How can we let God shape us in the waiting? How can we trust him to mature us in the spaces where it feels like nothing is happening?

Today, we meet Zechariah and Elizabeth, two people who understand the weight of waiting. Their story holds lessons for all of us who have felt the sting of unanswered prayers.

The Burden of Unanswered Prayers (Luke 1:5-7)

Luke introduces Zechariah and Elizabeth as faithful, blameless, and obedient. They live their lives with integrity, but they are childless. In their time, barrenness was often misunderstood as divine disfavor. Luke makes it clear this isn’t the case.

Faithfulness doesn’t guarantee us what we want. Zechariah and Elizabeth knew the pain of disappointment. Yet, they continued to serve. Zechariah fulfilled his priestly duties, and Elizabeth stayed devoted to God. There’s something deeply moving about people who keep serving, even while carrying their sorrow. The were resilient, patient, and humble.

Here, in just a few verses, we learn so much: 1) life is a mix of joy and heartbreak; 2) God holds the future, even when we don’t understand it; 3) serving others in our pain can be an act of trust.

And then, something extraordinary happens. their story begins to turn when Zechariah is chosen by lot to serve in the Temple in Jerusalem. Even in his weariness, Zechariah steps into his role and also steps into the greatest story ever told.

Let my prayer be counted as incense before you, and the lifting up of my hands as an evening sacrifice.

Psalm 141:2

God’s Messenger, God’s Time (Luke 1:8-20)

Zechariah is selected by lot to burn incense in the temple, a task reserved for Levites. He knows the significance of this moment, stepping into a space filled with history and holiness. It’s just him, the incense, and the prayers of the people.

Then, suddenly, an angel appears. Can you imagine his reaction? Did he gasp? Freeze? Run? Gabriel, the angel, reassures him, “Don’t be afraid; your prayer has been heard.” 

What prayer? The liturgical prayer I just prayed as I burned the incense, like Psalm 141:2, “Let my prayer be counted as incense before you, and the lifting up of my hands as an evening sacrifice.”? That God would deliver us?

“Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will name him John.” (Luke 1:13) 

That prayer?! I stopped praying that prayer over a decade ago! What?!

The angel continues, describing the remarkable life John will live—a life that will prepare the way for the Messiah. He’s the one Malachi talked about. He will be great in the eyes of the Lord. You must raise him for his purpose. He will turn many of his people to the Lord. He will have the same spirit as the prophet Elijah. He will prepare people for the coming of the Messiah. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and he will cause those who are rebellious to accept the wisdom.

But Zechariah, overwhelmed by doubt, questions the angel: “How can this be? We’re too old.” Gabriel’s response is firm: “The angel responds, “I’m Gabriel. I stand in the very presence of God and God sent me to tell you this good news. I thought you’d be convinced by, you know, my being here with you. I thought me knowing your name and your wife’s name and that you had been praying for a child for a long time would convince you. But, since you don’t believe me, this will be a sign for you, since you have the greatest news to tell, you won’t be able to talk about until the baby is born and named John. See ya.”

Zechariah has the best news to tell - he’s going to be a dad! Yet, his sign is that he will be unable to speak until he names the baby.

One wonders how Zechariah communicated the wonderful and awe-inspiring news he received. Can you imagine him walking around with a clipboard or chalk board?

Zechariah leaves the temple mute, and the first question he faces is, “What took you so long?” With wild gestures, he tries to explain what happened.

Elizabeth soon becomes pregnant, and she enters a time of seclusion. This could have been for health reasons, but perhaps it was also a time of reflection. She had carried the weight of shame for so long. Now, in her quiet months, she begins to rewrite her story—not in sorrow, but in gratitude for God’s faithfulness.

The Faithful Response to God’s Grace (Luke 1:21-25)

Elizabeth’s response is a beautiful declaration: “This is what the Lord has done for me.” She acknowledges God’s grace in a way only someone who has waited can truly express.

Her time in seclusion feels purposeful. Maybe she needed to release the false narrative she had carried—that her barrenness was her fault, that unanswered prayers meant God was displeased. As her grief is met with joy, she begins to see her life through God’s eyes.

Zechariah and Elizabeth’s story teaches us that waiting isn’t wasted when we let God work in us.

Lessons from the Waiting

Advent is a season of waiting. It’s a time to reflect on Christ’s first arrival and prepare for his promised return. Waiting stretches us. It challenges our faith and forces us to trust God’s timing over our own.

Waiting develops endurance. It helps us let go of control, teaching us gratitude and humility. It builds inner strength as we persevere through uncertainty.

Zechariah and Elizabeth’s story also reminds us that God’s timing is perfect. Zechariah was chosen seemingly at random to serve in the temple, but God was working through that moment. And when Gabriel announced the good news, it became clear that their decades of waiting were part of something far greater than they could have imagined.

What are you waiting for today? What prayers have you grown tired of praying?

Closing Reflection and Prayer

As we close, I invite you to reflect:

         •What prayers have you stopped praying because you think it’s too late?

         •What might God be asking you to trust him for, even when it feels hopeless? Are you saying, “It’s too late, God.”?

         • Like Elizabeth, do you need to let grace rewrite your story? Perhaps there are things outside of your control—things that aren’t your fault—that have shaped how you see yourself. Will you let God’s grace reshape that narrative? 

Let’s pray:

Gracious God,

We bring to you the weariness of waiting. Like Zechariah and Elizabeth, we have felt the ache of unanswered prayers and the weight of wondering if you are listening. Yet, in their story, we see your faithfulness.

We bring our longings and our struggles to you, knowing that you hear us, even in our silence. Teach us to trust in your Providence, to believe that your plans are good, even when from our perspective they are delayed. When we are tempted to lose hope, remind us that your promises are fulfilled in your perfect time.

Rewrite the stories we tell ourselves, Lord—stories of failure, guilt, or shame. Replace them with your truth, a truth that say we are loved, seen, and are being prepared for something greater than we can imagine.

As we wait, may we be faithful in the small things, generous in our love, and open to the quiet work you are doing in our hearts. Let us not waste our waiting and may our prayers rise to you like incense on the altar and may your grace light our way. In the name of Jesus we pray, with hope in our hearts. Amen.