Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. 12 When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. 13 But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John. 

‘Sometimes regular duty provides the context for extraordinary visions.’ Tom Wright: ‘Luke for everyone’, p.7.

‘Prayers of faith are filed in heaven, and are not forgotten, though the thing prayed for is not presently given…’ Matthew Henry.

Jesus taught the necessity of persevering in prayer (e.g. Lk.11:1-13; 18:1-8). How long had Zechariah and Elizabeth been praying, we wonder?

Gabriel’s words to Zechariah may refer to his prayers, as a priest, for the salvation of his nation. If so, these prayers, along with those of many others, had been heard. Deliverance was about to come in the form of the Messiah. However, I believe the most natural way to understand them is in relation to his – no doubt their – prayer for a child.

Tom Wright comments:

‘This story, preparing us for the even more remarkable conception and birth of Jesus himself, reminds us of something important. God regularly works through ordinary people, doing what they normally do, who with a mixture of half-faith and devotion are holding themselves ready for whatever God has in mind.’ (pp.7,8).