On Day 9, we left off with Zechariah being chosen by lot to burn incense in the Temple. This was a once-in-a-lifetime honor. Zechariah had probably dreamed of this day. He was an old man, so he may have thought this honor had passed him by. There were thousands of priests, and so few were chosen each year that he could have lived a lifetime and not had this opportunity. Now here he is in the Holy place, burning incense and offering prayers for the nation of Israel.
“Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. But the angel said to him: ‘Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard.’” Luke 1:11-13a (NLT)
While angels are mentioned more in the New Testament than love and sin, this doesn’t mean that everyone saw them. Zechariah probably felt like his heart skipped a beat. I think it’s a pretty good description that, at first, he was startled; he thought he was alone there, and then when he realizes it’s a huge angel standing there, he’s terrified. I think we all would be.
The angel tells him not to be afraid but then says something interesting; your prayer has been heard. At first reading, I thought maybe the angel was talking about his prayer for a child since that’s what he’s there to tell him, but his job right then was to offer prayers for his nation. He was a righteous man, a priest, and this was a lifetime opportunity, he wouldn’t be in there asking for his personal needs. Plus, as an old man, he wouldn’t have been praying for a child anymore, and certainly not at this momentous occasion, but God is so good, He not only answers his prayer for his nation – John was going to usher in and prepare the way for the Messiah, but He was also going to answer many years of prayers for Zechariah personally.
“Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John. He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord.” Luke 1:13b-15a (NLT)
The angel starts out with the news that this answer to his prayer is going to be for him and his own personal joy and delight, but then he expands it to others. There will be many who will rejoice because of this child’s birth. And not only will he be a joy and a delight to many, but he will also be great in the sight of the Lord. This promise would be amazing on its own, but tomorrow we will see that there’s more, much more.
Today’s truth is that we never know if our waiting is for a much bigger purpose than we ever imagined. Our prayers are never wasted, whether they are for ourselves or for others. God cares about them all.
Debbie's Perspective 
Prayers of faith are held in heaven and never forgotten. May our prayers be a sweet aroma to God.