No Need To Fear

Mercy & Grace—Even In Silence

1.2.21 [Luke 1:68-75] River of Life (2nd Sunday after Christmas)

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.

Silence is golden, or so they say. We can all certainly appreciate the golden glint of silence at certain times and places. Silence as the feature film begins to roll is a wonderful thing. Silence after a splendid meal is a sign that everyone is satisfied. Silence as you drive your vehicle after it’s been in the shop is reassuring. For parents, silence, moments after bedtime, is a rare treasure indeed. In most situations, silence can be golden, but also very brief.

In our Gospel text, Luke chapter 1, we read the words of a man very familiar with extended silence--Zechariah. Now there are a number of Zechariah’s in the Bible, this one was a good guy--a priest. But he wasn’t just a good guy because of his lineage or his profession. Luke tells us that Zechariah & his wife Elizabeth (Lk. 1:6) were righteous in the sight of God. That’s high praise from God.

As a priest, Zechariah was in good, but abundant company. So the priests rotated. During Zechariah’s division’s turn, Zechariah was (Lk. 1:9) chosen by lot to burn incense in the Temple while people prayed outside. It was a special honor, but just the beginning.

While Zechariah was burning incense, Gabriel, the Lord’s angel, appeared with an important message. Gabriel told Zechariah that (Lk. 1:13) the LORD had heard their prayers. (Lk. 1:13-17) Your wife, Elizabeth, is going to have a son. Name him John. He will live a special life. He’ll be filled with the Holy Spirit before his birth. He’ll serve as a powerful prophet--like Elijah. He’ll prepare the hearts of the people of Israel for the Lord’s Anointed.

This is exciting news for anyone, but for Zechariah and Elizabeth it was especially sweet. This righteous couple had no children and they were no spring chickens. They were (Lk. 1:18) well along in years. So Zechariah asked: (Lk. 1:18) How can I be sure of this? After all, he and his wife had been praying for this for years, how could he be certain that it would happen this late in life?

So the Lord provided a memorable sign. Gabriel said: (Lk. 1:19-20) God sent me to speak with you, but because you doubted me--and the one who sent me--here’s your sign: silence. Zechariah couldn’t say a thing from that day until everything had been fulfilled.

There are some situations when silence certainly seems golden. But other times, in different situations, silence seems torturous. When you’re worried or stressed, silence makes us wonder if we’ve been forgotten. When you’re overwhelmed or sad or dealing with doubts or pain, silence leaves us feeling neglected and forsaken.

Maybe the pained prayers of a couple like Zechariah and Elizabeth are quite familiar to you. Maybe you’ve spent countless hours, even years, praying that God might give you the gift of a child.

Or perhaps your prayers only picked up more steam after God granted that gift. Perhaps your prayers are zeroed in on the spiritual condition of one or more of your children. You know God claimed them in their baptism. You heard them confess their faith boldly at their confirmation. But since then, it’s been more downs than ups and you wonder, you worry, whether even a glimmer of faith still burns within their hearts. Perhaps you’ve prayed persistently for some gentle correction or even a wake-up call for for your child.

But maybe the subject matter of your prayers differs greatly from Zechariah and Elizabeth but you can relate to their intensity. Maybe you’ve repeatedly approached your heavenly Father asking for relief from some physical pain, to be cured of some disease, to recover from some health setback, or to be healed from an emotional ache.

Perhaps your impassioned petitions were concerning marital strife or money problems. Maybe you’ve had trouble at work, or finding fulfillment in life after retirement.

Like Zechariah and Elizabeth you prayed. You prayed like you never did before. You pleaded. You implored God to help you. You called upon his name until you fell asleep on your pillow. Maybe you even bargained a bit. Maybe mentally you made promises about how you would show God your gratitude if he would only answer your petitions. You prayed harder and longer than you ever had before.

And nothing happened. You were met with radio silence. The heavens didn’t rend open wide. There was no divine sign. No angelic response. No supernatural change. Things stayed the same, mostly.

This challenge is unique to believers. We’ve prayed like God says he wants and now we want an answer. We want God to do something. We want the Lord to visit us, chat about our situation, and explain his apparent inaction. Sometimes, we need to learn to appreciate silence.

God’s silence is not like ours. We get silent for all sorts of reasons.

In human relationships & interactions, silence quickly breeds distrust. Silence creates fear & hostility. Silence in conversation is rarely a good sign. Sometimes we grow silent because we don’t have an answer, or at least have a good one. Sometimes we’re silent because we’re afraid or not sure what to do, or because we can’t do what we once promised. Once in a while, we’re silent because we just plain forgot. We have to remember that God’s silence is not like ours. We fail people. We disappoint others. Even in our silence we can’t avoid sinning against our God and others.

But our God is holy and perfect. His silence is for different reasons.

This contrast in silences is of supreme importance as we pray. When we bring our requests to the LORD, we need to constantly re-center ourselves in what God has already said and done. That’s what Zechariah did. Silence was a golden opportunity to revisit God’s power and grace. Silence from God is still gracious.

Look again at the first verses of our Gospel text. This is the first thing that Zechariah says after 9+ months of silence. (Lk. 1:68-69) Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come to his people and redeemed them. He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David. Remember what he had been praying for? But his first words, when he was filled with the Holy Spirit, were not about his son, not about that child he had prayed for all those years. These words are about another child. The child that Elizabeth’s relative, Mary, was carrying in her womb, the Immanuel. Zechariah was more excited about the upcoming birth of David’s greater Son, Jesus, than for his own son.

During his silent sabbatical, Zechariah had time to reflect on what God had said and done. As much as Zechariah and Elizabeth wanted to have a child, the Lord had been speaking of Immanuel for generations. He was the hope of all the prophets of long ago. He was the seed of blessing and mercy the Lord had promised to Abraham and Isaac and Jacob. He would rescue & rule powerfully.

God had demonstrated that power to rescue and rule before. He had delivered the children of Israel from slavery in Egypt. He had devastated the armies of Sennacherib, silently striking 185,000 enemy warriors dead overnight. The Lord had always heard the cries of his people. He was there for Joseph and David, protecting, preserving, and promoting each one at the proper time. He rescued & sustained men like Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, & Abednego.

When we are going through periods of intensive praying, it is important that we re-center ourselves in the things God has said and done. We need to review his promises. We need to reconsider his mighty deeds. Believers like us ought to know God is powerful. We know he never speaks carelessly. He keeps all his promises.

So even his silence is merciful & gracious. The LORD remains powerful and faithful even when he isn’t saying anything new at all. It’s not something we often consider. But God is actively working out our salvation even in silence. When the Word became flesh and was born that night in Bethlehem, God made his dwelling among us. Jesus was born, without being able to speak a word. Jesus was silent as John the Baptist, that son of Zechariah and Elizabeth baptized him the Jordan River. Jesus remained silent—(Is. 53:7) as a sheep before its shearers--as the chief priests allowed his name to be slandered, his flesh to be struck again & again. Jesus was mostly silent as he stood before Pilate.

Silence is never evidence of God’s disinterest or forgetfulness. When Jesus cried out (Mt. 27:46) My God, My God why have you forsaken me? our heavenly Father remained deafeningly silent. This was for us and for our salvation. When Jesus gave up his spirit, he hung silently on the cross—not because he was afraid or unsure of what to do. He died because there was no other way (Lk. 1:74) to rescue us from the hands of our enemies, from sin, death, & the devil.

When God is silent he is still focused on our salvation. He is still invested in our redemption. He is always working out everything for our eternal good, to bring us to the peace Christ won for us.

We don’t have to worry when our prayers seem to go unanswered. They have been heard by the Lord. He is active in our world and in our lives. We have little concept of the sadness he stops, the evil plans he thwarts. God’s silence is always gracious and merciful. So we can continue to pray and (Lk. 1:74) serve him without fear. Because of Christ Jesus, we are (Lk. 1:75) holy and righteous in the sight of God. We know the character of the Lord. We know the power and the mercy of our God. We know that he is capable of doing things beyond our wildest dreams. We now that--even now--he does things without us even noticing. The Lord God promises us that he has already said everything necessary for our salvation in his Word. So we ought to treasure what he has already said and done and embrace his silence too. God is love. He is always gracious. He is the same yesterday, today, & forever. (Lk. 1:68) Praise be to the Lord.