Zechariah: Believing the Impossible

by Wendy Volkmar

Sarasota, Florida and Indianapolis, Indiana USA

Scripture:  Luke 1:5-23

Have you ever prayed an impossible prayer?

About 12 years ago, my husband and I received an adoption email with a photo and bio for a 12-year-old girl in China. We already had five children—four birth children and another daughter adopted from China 10 years earlier—but for 10 years I dreamed of adopting an older child. They had so little hope for a family.

For me, the email was love at first sight and an answer to a long-prayed prayer. But when we finally applied to adopt her, the agency denied us because our younger daughter was only three weeks younger than her. The agency was concerned about “artificial twinning,” which they thought would cause conflict between the two girls. They wanted us to consider another child.

We were devastated. We told them that there was no other child; that our motivation for adoption was her! We believed it was God’s will, but felt so discouraged that they had said no. Was it even still a possibility?

We prayed as a family. Then, God inspired me with an idea and courage, and I called the agency. I explained that we had other children close in age and were no strangers to conflict resolution. The girls wouldn’t be in the same grade and would have different friend groups. They said the board would consider it.

Decision day arrived. A dear friend came over and prayed with me. Anxiously we waited. Then the phone rang and the news arrived. Amazingly, they had reconsidered and granted our request to adopt her! It was truly a miracle; an answer to an impossible prayer.

I can only imagine how Zechariah must have felt after praying for a child for years and years, even when it no longer seemed possible. Elizabeth was an old woman who probably had gone through menopause. Their community had labeled them as childless and they both bore the shame of something they had no control over. In fact, Zechariah is so taken aback after Gabriel pours out a beautiful and exciting vision of his future son (verses 13-17), that all he can say is, “Are you sure?”

Though we know it intellectually, sometimes we forget in our hearts that God isn’t bound by the same laws of nature—including time—that we are. He is not intimidated by the seemingly impossible. He wants to bless us! I wonder sometimes if God’s feelings are hurt when we limit Him or lose faith in His promises.

In Mark 4:40, you can almost hear the hurt in Jesus’ voice when He says, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” Yet in Luke 7:8-9 we also hear the joy and amazement when He says of the centurion, “I tell you the truth, I have not found such great faith even in Israel.”

What if, starting today, we no longer limit God in our prayers? What if, like Zechariah, we dream the impossible, even if nature or others tell us, no? What joy it would bring our Father for us to have great faith and pray those (seemingly) impossible prayers!

 Questions for Reflection:

1. How has God shown His faithfulness to you over the years?
2. Is there a prayer that you aren’t praying because you don’t think it is possible or you feel discouraged by the obstacles?
3. Consider today how you can amaze God with your great faith!