How long have you been waiting for the Lord to turn around a situation for
you? Initially, you were praying daily asking the Lord to fix it. After some
years have passed, you lift up this situation every now and then, but still,
nothing has changed. Now you have reached the point, where you no
longer pray about the situation to the Lord. You have accepted the situation
is not going to change. I believe this is exactly where Zechariah and
Elizabeth were, for years they prayed for the Lord to bless them to have a
child. However, Elizabeth remained barren and Zechariah had come to the
conclusion they would not have a child. 
In Luke 1:8-20, 24-25, the Lord answered their prayers. Zechariah was a
priest and had been chosen by lot to go into the sanctuary to do the
incense offering. As he approached the altar, he saw an angel and was
afraid because he was expecting to be in this holy place all by himself. The
angel Gabriel told him the Lord heard his prayer and was there to share the
good news. His wife will have a son, and his name will be John. After
hearing this from Gabriel you would think Zechariah would begin to rejoice.
However, he did the opposite and raised the following question, “how will I
know that this is so? For I am an old man, and my wife is getting on in
years.” Zechariah is currently in a place where he has accepted they will
not have a child because he is old and his wife is getting older. He can’t
understand why the Lord would wait until he is old to bless them with a
child. Zechariah truly believed it was too late for them to receive this blessing.
His response angered the Lord, and Zechariah was told he would not be
able to speak until these things happened. Zechariah was being
punished for not believing, and he received a sign by being made mute.
However, the Lord was still going to bless them with a child. 
In verses 24-25, Elizabeth was with a child, but she isolated herself from
everyone. She was a woman that had to endure people talking about her
being childless, and the wife of a priest. Elizabeth understood God had
shown her favor, and the label of disgrace has been removed. The label
had been removed because she is with a child, but the stain in her mind was
still there. She stayed in seclusion because in her mind there was no one
she could celebrate this blessing with other than her husband. Why,
because all throughout the town everyone had been talking about her being
barren. Think about this, her husband is mute because he did not believe

the angel, and she is in seclusion because she does not have any friends to
share in her joy. 
What have you been waiting for the Lord to answer in your life? It may
seem as though you have been forgotten and the situation is still the same.
Since nothing has changed, you have fallen into the trap of defining
yourself in a negative light. Why, because the situation is one you need the
Lord to intervene in order for things to change. You have to choose to fight
against the negative thoughts and continue to believe and look at all the
other things the Lord is doing in your life. You are not defined by one
situation. Think about all the Lord is doing in your life, and the situation will
be handled in the Lord’s time. Therefore, keep pressing your way forward,
and in time the Lord will respond. Continue to walk in your blessings!