Are You Ready for God to Answer Your Prayer?

“But the angel said to him, ‘Do not be afraid Zechariah, your prayer has been heard.’”

Luke 1:13a

Are you ready?  This is the season of getting ready.  As you can see Linda has been busy getting ready for Christmas, putting up decorations, baking cookies, buying presents and so forth.  At Church I am getting services ready as well - writing sermons and so forth.  The choirs are getting music ready.  Many of you are getting ready for parties, for guests and more.  Advent is about getting ready - ready for Jesus to come again in glory… to come to us today in Word and Sacrament.  The whole message of John the Baptist was about getting ready – “Repent,” he said, “for the Kingdom of God is near.”  The whole Christmas story is about different people who were not quite ready for God’s work in their lives,

Zechariah is the perfect example.  He and Elizabeth have been praying and praying and praying for God to give them a child!  They wanted a baby more than anything.  Finally one day an angel comes to him.  “Do not be afraid Zechariah, your prayer has been heard.”   Zechariah is not ready.  He wonders, “How can I be sure of this?”  He even gives a reason why this could not possibly be.  “I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.”  It’s almost as if he’s been praying but never really expected God to answer.  He’s not ready for what that angel told him.  

How could it be that any of us who prays would not be ready for God to answer that prayer?  One reason could be that we go into prayer, like Zechariah, expecting nothing.  I have been guilty sometimes of just going through the motions of prayer… as part of my daily ritual… but with no real expectations.   Are you ever guilty of that – just rattling of the words of prayer?  Just going through the motions? 

This story reminds us that God is serious in inviting us to pray.  That’s His promise.  “Ask and it shall be given.  Seek and you shall find.  Knock and the door will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives and he who seeks finds and to him who knocks the door will be opened.  Which of you if he son asks him for bread will give him a stone, or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake?  If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask Him!”    I remember how my confirmation Pastor urged us to pray, expecting God to be listening.  He said, “Be careful what you ask for. You might be surprised when you get it.”

Of course there is another reason why there are times when we aren’t ready for God’s answer to our prayers.  Sometimes God doesn’t give us the answer we want.  I remember one lady who was really down.  She had cancer.  She prayed and prayed and prayed but it didn’t get better.  God was giving her an answer she wasn’t ready for.  Then she started praying differently.  She added to her prayer, “Lord if it is not your will I get better, give me faith to trust in Your will even when it is hard.  Indeed, either way Lord, grant that whether I get better or sicker, You might use me to help others and to glorify your name.”   When we see prayer as a laundry list of things we want God to do for us, then we aren’t going to be ready when He doesn’t give us the answer we want.  What a difference it makes when we see prayer as an act of faith- sharing our petitions with our inviting God and asking Him to submit our will to His.  After all you can trust Him even when His answer is No.  He is the God who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for you. That’s a God who can work all things together for good.  Approach Him in prayer with that faith and you will be ready for whatever answer He gives.  e HeH