Once when Zechariah’s division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God, 9 he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to go into the temple of the Lord and burn incense. 10 And when the time for the burning of incense came, all the assembled worshipers were praying outside.

11 Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense.

It is quite some years ago that our church held its first ‘house party’. We came away from it though, having no doubt about the guest preacher’s main theme. He kept repeating it through the week-end: ‘Things can change!’ It sort of became part of the vocabulary of the church for a time afterwards, and we would remind one another, ‘Things can change!’

‘Things’ were about to change for Zechariah and Elizabeth – big time. For years they had longed for a baby of their own, but biology had been against them. Now age was. But when they got to be old enough to be grand-parents, they found they were about to become ‘dad’ and ‘mum’.

Yes, ‘things can change!’

Please understand me, I’m not saying we have a blueprint here for everyone who wants a baby. There are people who have longed for children of their own who never received the miracle they so earnestly sought. Although we find stories like Zechariah and Elizabeth’s in a number of places in the Bible, I know it doesn’t always happen. Only God knows why.

But let’s hold on to the principle that, with God, ‘Things can change.’

‘Prayer changes things.’

But even in those times when nothing seems to change at all, prayer can change me, and maybe that is more important.

God may not always give the thing asked (although He regularly does), but He will always give the grace to face the circumstances we are called to accept.