God's Timing is Perfect (and so is His Plan)

Today we are beginning a new series which will take us through the end of the year. And seeing as it is Christmas time we will obviously be studying the Birth of our Savior Jesus Christ. But the birth of Christ is not the only birth we will be studying. In fact, I’ve named this series “Two Miraculous Births”.

Now, if we hadn’t heard Stanley read the Scripture earlier about John the Baptist, some of us would probably be sitting here scratching our heads, thinking, “two miraculous births”? What is He taking about two miraculous births. I only know about one miraculous birth, which is Jesus.

But this morning I want us to understand the circumstances surrounding the birth of John the Baptist were also miraculous. And to fully comprehend just how amazing this birth was I need to give you some background information. So, everybody put on your thinking caps, take a sip of coffee, and get ready to study.

Ok, let’s talk about the period of time between the Old Testament and the New Testament. Now you might not know this but there is a 400 year period that separates the last book written in the OT and the beginning of the NT. This 400 year “gap” between the testaments is often referred to as “the silent years”. What this means is that after the final book of prophecy was recorded in the OT, God doesn’t speak through a prophet again until, guess who? That’s right. God doesn’t speak through prophet again until John the Baptist.

So, the Last book of the Old Testament is the prophetic book of Malachi. The prophet Malachi is largely considered to be the last of the Old Testament prophets before this 400 year “silent” period began. And must scholars agree that the book of Malachi was written somewhere around 450-430 BC. Let me put it this way. Malachi was written roughly 400 years before the birth of Christ.

And now you’re probably thinking, ‘Okay William, but so what?’ Here’s where I’m going with this. When the Gospel of Luke opens, the Jewish people haven’t heard a prophet speak for 400 years. And 400 years is a really long time. To put that in perspective, the United States of America will celebrate its 250th anniversary in 2026. Our nation is only 250 years old, yet when we think back to 1776, that feels like forever ago. But the period between the Testaments wasn’t 250 years—it was 400. That means many generations of Jewish people lived and died during those silent years.

In the Old Testament, a generation is often measured as 40 years, because Israel wandered in the wilderness for 40 years until that generation passed away. By that measure, about 10 generations came and went in the silent years. Today, we often use a shorter span—around 25 years—to mark a generation. By that measure, roughly 16 generations of Jewish people were born and lived during those 400 years. Think about that: entire lifetimes, entire family lines, waiting in silence for God to speak again.

Now let me point out one more amazing detail before we get into our text for today. I want us to read one of the prophecies of book of Malachi. In other words, I want to read one of the final prophecies recorded in the OT before this 400 year period of silence began.

Malachi 3:1 NKJV

1 “Behold, I send My messenger, And he will prepare the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, Will suddenly come to His temple, Even the Messenger of the covenant, In whom you delight. Behold, He is coming,” Says the Lord of hosts.

“Listen again to Malachi’s words: ‘Behold, I send My messenger, and he will prepare the way before Me.’ Who was Malachi talking about? He was pointing to John the Baptist—the one who would come before the Lord Jesus Christ.

Now let this sink in. Think about the generations that lived and died after Malachi wrote this prophecy. Think about the families who studied these words, clung to them, and passed them down to their children. For 400 years, the Jewish people longed to see this messenger, and even more, they longed to see their Messiah. Entire lifetimes were spent waiting, hoping, praying. And then, suddenly, the silence was broken. Suddenly, the angel Gabriel appears to a priest in the temple with a message of a miraculous birth.

Which brings us to Luke chapter 1 verse 5, where we meet a Jewish couple who had lived upright obedient lives before God. We see a couple who longed for a child, but could not have one. So, let’s turn our attention now to this couple named Zacharias and Elizabeth, the soon to be parents of John the Baptist. But before we get into our text for this morning, let’s go to the Lord in prayer.

Let’s pray.

Luke 1:5 NKJV

5 There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the division of Abijah. His wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth.

Here in verse 5 we are introduced to Zacharias and his wife Elizabeth, and we learn that both parents were of priestly lineage. This verse says that Zacharias was a priest, and it says that Elizabeth was “of the daughters of Aaron”. Remember under the law of Moses only descendants of Aaron (Moses) brother were allowed to be priests. The point is that under normal circumstances John the Baptist would have become a priest and served in the temple, like His father did. But clearly God had other plans for John.

Let’s read on...

Luke 1:6–7 NKJV

6 And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. 7 But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both well advanced in years.

Now when we read that they both were “righteous before God, walking in all the commandments… of the Lord blameless”, this doesn’t mean that this couple was sinless. The Bible clearly teaches that all men have fallen short of God’s standard of righteousness. But here we meet a couple that consistently lived in obedience to God’s commands. Today, we might express it this way, the parents of so and so are very “godly people”. And when we say that we don’t mean the people are sinless. We mean that their lifestyle is characterized by obedience to God. So, here we have this “godly” couple and were living in obedience to God’s commands, but notice what verse 7 says.

“But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren”. It would have been extremely difficult for this couple to understand why God had not blessed them with children. Of course it is difficult for any couple to deal with infertility, but under the Mosaic law there were promised blessings for living in obedience to God’s law. In fact, let’s look at a couples of verses from the book of Deuteronomy where it lists the blessings for living in obedience to God’s law.

Deuteronomy 28:1 NKJV

1 “Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today, that the Lord your God will set you high above all nations of the earth.

Now let’s skip down to verse 4.

Deuteronomy 28:4 NKJV

4 “Blessed shall be the fruit of your body, the produce of your ground and the increase of your herds, the increase of your cattle and the offspring of your flocks.

Did you notice what the first part of this verse says. “Blessed shall be the fruit of your body”. So, here we have this obedient couple who are living righteously before the Lord, but Elizabeth is barren. In other words, there was no fruit coming from her body. And can you imagine how many times this priestly couple had prayed to the Lord for a child? Can you imagine how many times they had turned to this verse in the book of Deuteronomy and said, “Lord your word says that if we diligently obey your voice and carefully observe your commandments that you will bless the fruit of our body. Lord, please hear our prayer. We desperately want children.”

It’s not hard to imagine that they had prayed this type of prayer daily. It’s not hard to imagine that they prayed this prayer daily for years.

Let’s look back at verse 7 in Luke chapter 1.

Luke 1:7 NKJV

7 But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both well advanced in years.

Notice what it says at the end of the verse, “and they were both well advanced in years”. This little clue tells us a couple of things. It tells us that they had been praying for a child for years, and it also tells us that they were well past the age where child bearing was possible. In other words, from the human point of view, the chances of having a child were zero. We might even say their situation was hopeless. And it is all together possible they no longer thought it was possible for them to have a child.

And this is what is so amazing about this story. Let’s back up and look at the big picture for a moment. This story takes place during an age of dwindling hope. The nation of Israel had been expecting their Messiah for thousands of years. Century after century, generation after generation they had been waiting for the promised Messiah to appear and restore the nation of Israel to its former glory. But instead of the Messiah coming they had gotten 400 years of silence. Where were the prophets? Where was a new revelation from God giving them hope? Where was God in all of this?

Instead of returning to being a world power the nation was in bondage to Rome. They had lost their independence and I’m sure there hope meter was running at an all time low. And in many ways this priestly couple, Zacharias and Elizabeth, was a picture of Israel itself near the end of the Old Covenant. Israel just like Elizabeth was barren. The nation was not bringing forth the good fruit that God intended. They had been waiting and waiting and waiting for God to send the Messiah, the one who who rescue them from Roman rule, and restore the nation to its former glory. But nothing was happening.

And now, there is a wonderful message of hope tucked into this story for us. You see, many times in our lives we may be waiting and waiting and waiting for God to answer one of our prayers. We just like Elizabeth and Zacharias may have been waiting years for God to answer a prayer, but nothing is happening. I think we have all been in situations where we have prayed and prayed and prayed, and we just want to throw our hands up and say, “God where are you”? But here is where we find hope, and this is the title of today’s message.

God’s Timing is Perfect (And so is His Plan)

Here is one of the points i want us to walk away with. In fact, this is the main point of this lesson. Regardless, of what is going on in our lives we can 100% trust that God’s timing is perfect and God’s plan is perfect.

Look at the story of Zacharias and Elizabeth. For years they longed for a child. Month after month and year after year, their prayers seemed unanswered. The silence must have felt unbearable, the disappointment a burden they carried through so many seasons of life. And yet—through all the waiting, through all the heartache—they remained faithful. They kept serving. They kept obeying. They kept walking blamelessly before the Lord.

Their story is such a beautiful reminder that we must persevere in the faith during life’s difficult seasons, especially the one’s that seem to last forever. We must always believe that God has a plan, and that His plan is perfect.

So, Zacharias and Elizabeth are now old, but still walking in obedience to the Lord’s commands, And then—at the exact moment God had appointed—He broke the silence. Not only would they have a son, but that son would be John the Baptist, the one who would prepare the way for the Messiah. Their waiting was not wasted. Their obedience in the dark became the backdrop for God’s glorious light.

This is just an amazing story, and so often this is how God operates. Think about the timing of this. The nation of Israel is in despair. They haven’t heard a prophet speak for 400 years. They are in bondage to Rome. By the world’s standard’s all hope seems lost. And then you zoom into the lives of this priestly couple, and they are childless and well beyond the age of having children. The prayer’s are seeming going unanswered… But God. But God in the midst of this national despair. In the midst of this couple’s unfulfilled longing, God in His perfect wisdom, brings all of these needs together to fulfill HIs perfect eternal plan.

Church, God’s Timing is Perfect, and so is HIs Plan. And this is what we can always take comfort in. When we are living our lives in obedience to God’s commands, no matter how bad things seems. No matter how much pain we are experiencing. If we are living obedient Christian lives we know that all things are working together for good to fulfill God’s perfect and eternal plan. And we need to develop this attitude as Christians.

We need to be less focused on our plan and more focused on His.

Legacy, here is something I know with absolute certainty. God’s plan is far better than our own. God’s plan is the only perfect plan, and when we go through seasons when nothing makes sense, and our prayers don’t seem to get answered, we need to trust His plan and His purpose, just like Zacharias and Elizabeth. This is when we say,

“Father, I don’t understand this. But I know who You are, and I know what You’ve promised in Your Word. I trust that Your plan is bigger than mine. So help me glorify You through whatever trials and suffering I face in this life.”

That’s the kind of faith that transforms waiting into worship and trials into testimony.

Ok I’ve got more to say on this, but I’ve save it for the end. Let’s turn our attention back to Luke where we see Zacharias serving in the temple.

Luke 1:8–10 NKJV

8 So it was, that while he was serving as priest before God in the order of his division, 9 according to the custom of the priesthood, his lot fell to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord. 10 And the whole multitude of the people was praying outside at the hour of incense.

Ok, we need to unpack a few details so we can fully appreciate just how amazing God’s timing is. Notice verse 8 says, “while he was serving as priest before God in the order of his division”. We need to understand that all of the priests were organized into different divisions and this began during the days of King David. In short, there were numerous priests, but only one temple. So, the priests were organized into these different groups so that each priest only served in the temple a total of two weeks during the year. So, first we need to understand that Zacharias wasn’t serving in the temple year round. He was appointed to serve two separate one week periods according to the custom of the priesthood.

But that’s not all. Verse 9 adds that He was chosen to burn incense. Now listen up because this is an important detail. Getting to burn incense in the temple was one of the highest honors a priest received. In fact,

Luke: An Introduction and Commentary A. The Birth of John Foretold (1:5–25)

A priest could not offer incense more than once in his entire lifetime (Mishnah, Tamid 5:2), and some priests never did receive the privilege. Thus the time when Zechariah offered the incense was the most important moment in his whole life.

Do you see where I’m going with this? Let’s recap everything just to drive the point home.

God had not spoken through a prophet in 400 years. Four centuries of silence. And then we meet a priest whose wife was barren, who had carried the ache of unanswered prayers for decades. Their childbearing years were long past. From a human perspective, their hope was gone. But it wasn’t just their hope that had dwindled, the hope for the nation of Israel was fading. Where was God? Where was the Messiah? Where were the prophets?

But then—just when things seems the bleakest—Zacharias reports for duty in the temple. Remember this was during one of his rare appointed weeks of service. And if that isn’t remarkable enough, the lot fell to him to offer incense—a once-in-a-lifetime privilege for a priest.

It was in that exact moment, in that exact place, that God broke the silence. The timing wasn’t random. The circumstances weren’t accidental. This was the moment God had orchestrated before time began. Church, let me say again God timing is perfect. And in that moment God breaks the silence, and reveals the next part of His plan. He announced the birth of John the Baptist, the one who would prepare the way for Christ. Let’s read on.

Luke 1:11–13 NKJV

11 Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing on the right side of the altar of incense. 12 And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him. 13 But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John.

I can’t describe the magnitude of this moment. The only thing I can say is that God’s timing is perfect and so is His plan.

Obviously, Zacharias is terrified at the sight of the angel. Remember, Zacharias would have been the only person to ever experience something like this. And so the angel tells him not be be afraid, and pay attention to what He says after that. The angel says, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard.

Notice, the angel say your prayer is heard. Not your prayers. Why is this significant? Because I think the angel is referring a specific prayer. I don’t think the angel is referring to all his past prayers for a son. I think the angel is referring to the prayer he was praying as He offered incense in the temple. And the next question is what would Zacharias been praying for as He offered incense?

Well, remember this was a once in a lifetime honor, and I don’t he Zacharias would use this moment to pray that He would have a child. I think, Zacharias was praying for the redemption of Israel in this moment. I think Zacharias is praying for Israel’s Messiah to come, and it is in this very moment chosen by God, during Zacharias prayer that God sends His messenger. And the Angel says. Zacharias you prayer is heard. I think what the angel means is “God has heard your prayer for the Messiah to come. But notice what the angel says after “your prayer is heard”. He says, “And your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John”.

You see, after all those years of waiting—after all those years of faithful obedience—Zechariah finally discovers why he and Elizabeth had not been able to have a child. The reason was far greater than anything he could have imagined.

Their son was not simply going to bring joy to their household. He was appointed to play one of the most pivotal roles in God’s plan of redemption. John the Baptist would be the forerunner of the Messiah—the voice crying out in the wilderness, announcing His arrival, and preparing a people to make them ready to meet the Lord. Let’s look at verses 16-17 that describe John the Baptist’s ministry.

Luke 1:16–17 NKJV

16 And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. 17 He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, ‘to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,’ and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

You see, what looked like delay was actually divine design. What felt like silence was God setting the stage for his eternal plan of redemption, not just for the nation of Israel but for the whole world.

Let me say it one more time for the people on the back row.

God’s Timing is Perfect (And so is His Plan)

And so as we wrap up this morning here is my challenge to you. So often we as human beings get so wrapped up in our plan. We get so wrapped up in our plans and our vision for what we want out of life that when it doesn’t happen we get angry at God. We throw our hands up and say God how could you let this happen? Or God where are you now why won’t you answer my prayer.

Let me give you some advice that radically changed my life.

Stop praying for your plan to come true, and start praying for the privilege to participate in God’s eternal plan.

Stop praying so much for your plan to come true, and start praying more for the privilege to participate in God’s eternal plan.

In short, stop praying for your will to be done, and start praying for God’s will to be done. Because when we begin here, that’s when we tap into the real power of prayer. That’s when God not only uses us, but transforms us. He aligns our hearts with His purposes, and suddenly our prayers are no longer about getting what we want—they’re about glorifying Him in what He wants.

And here’s the beauty: when our prayers shift from self-centered to God-centered, we discover that His plan is bigger, His timing is better, and His purposes are eternal.

Let me give you a quick testimonial comment and then I’m done. I wasted half my life chasing after what I though my life should look like. I thought I needed this amount of education, this amount of money, time for all these different hobbies, and my best laid plans came to ruin. But then I finally turned to God and said, “Lord, I’ve made such a mess of everything. I’ve got nothing left. Do whatever You want with me, because I’m done.” And that was the moment everything changed. My life took a turn I never could have imagined—because when I surrendered my plan, I stepped into His plan.

Believe me, standing here today was never part of my plan. I never thought something like this was possible. I didn’t think God used people like me for things like this. But the Bible says:

1 Corinthians 1:27 NKJV

27 But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty;

So don’t waste your life telling God what you think you need to be happy. Instead, go to Him and say, “Here I am, Lord. Use me. I want to participate in what You are doing. Because I know Your plan is far better than anything I could dream up. Your will be done, because Your timing is perfect and so is Your plan.”

Pray that prayer. Ask the Lord to use you in His plan—and then watch what happens. Because those are the prayers God answers. He delights to use obedient believers to accomplish amazing things. He lets us take part in His perfect, eternal plan.

Let’s pray.