Key verse: Luke 1:21 “Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah, amazed that he stayed so long in the sanctuary”.

“The people were waiting”. Put yourself in their shoes for a minute, it wasn’t an everyday occurrence for a priest to enter the most holy part of the temple. In fact it only happened once a year. While the priest was inside the people were outside praying and waiting. They waited to see if the priest had gained any revelation or prophecy from God. Keep in mind, 400 years had passed since the people of Israel had heard from a prophet or had a king. They had been waiting a long time! They must have been thinking “finally, he has been in there so long – this must be the time”. But then Zechariah comes out and can’t speak. Luke 1:22 tells us “When he did come out, he could not speak to them. Then they realized that he had seen a vision in the sanctuary. He was making signs to them and remained speechless.” More than likely the people went away that day still waiting and maybe even more confused. 

Deep dive scripture: Luke 1:21-25

Think and journal about:

• Has there been a situation in your life or is there now when you were expecting news or an answer and ended up not getting what you had hoped? How did that make you feel?
• What are you waiting for in this season? Maybe it’s for a loved one to come to Christ, or a sick friend to be healed, a new job. Or maybe you’ve been simply waiting for clarity and direction. For some, your waiting is more of an anticipation of a vacation, time away from work, seeing relatives you don’t normally see. Waiting isn’t always a bad thing!
• Whatever you’ve been waiting for, spend some time talking to God about it. Don’t be afraid to pour your heart out. He already knows!