God prepares the world for the coming of His Son by promising an elderly couple they will miraculously conceive. The angel of the Lord appears to Zechariah to tell him his wife Elizabeth will bear a son. Their son will prepare the way for the Christ (the Messiah), Jesus.

This text teaches us even strong believers will sometimes stumble through unbelief. Sometimes long delays may cause us to doubt that our prayers will ever be answered. Our unbelief will not cancel God’s plans. Our unbelief robs us of the joy of believing God for the impossible. God disciplines stumbling believers in order that He might restore them later.