Nine Months of Silence

One crowd dey wait for di temple courtyard. Di priest wey dey inside don stay too long. People dey look each other face. Then di door open, and e come out dey stagger, e dey wave im hands, e dey open im mouth. But no word comot.

Zechariah na old priest, wey dey serve im own week for di temple for Jerusalem. Today, di lot fall on am to burn incense inside di holy place, di honour wey person fit get only once for life. And there, beside di golden altar, one angel appear. Di angel tell am say God don hear im prayer, say im wife Elizabeth, wey don old and no get pikin, go born son wey dem go call John, and say dis boy go prepare di people for di Lord. Na di sweetest news wey Zechariah don ever hear. But e no too believe am.

Zechariah ask, How I go take know say dis tin go happen? Because I don old, and my wife sef don advance for age. How I go take dey sure? E sound like normal question. But Zechariah na priest wey know di story of Abraham and Sarah, of Hannah, of Manoah wife. E dey stand inside God house, e dey talk with angel. And still e dey ask for proof. Di angel answer. Na me be Gabriel. I dey stand for di presence of God, and na God send me make I talk to you and bring you dis good news. Then e give Zechariah one sign, but no be di kind wey e want. Because you no believe my word, you go dey quiet, you no go fit talk until di day wey dis tins go happen. And my word go come to pass for di correct time.

For outside, di people dey wait for Zechariah, dem dey wonder why e dey stay so long inside di sanctuary. Di priest suppose come out come bless dem. When at last e appear, e no fit talk to dem. Dem understand say e don see vision inside di temple. E dey make sign give dem with hand, and e no fit talk. Imagine to finish im week of service like dat. Every day, e no fit explain anything. Then, when im days of service don finish, Zechariah go back to im house for di hill country. And not long after, as Gabriel talk, Elizabeth get belle.

For five months, Elizabeth hide herself for house. Luke no tell us exactly why. Maybe she want quiet time with God. Maybe she want make she dey sure before anybody go doubt her or pity her again. And she talk one tin wey carry many years of pain inside am. Na so di Lord don do for me, for di days wey e look me with kind eye, to remove my shame for di front of people. For many many years, Elizabeth carry di shame wey people dey often put on top women wey no get pikin, as if e mean say God no dey happy with dem. Now God don look her. Di sorrow don finish. And all dis time, her husband fit only listen, wait, and watch di promise dey grow.

Luke use one Greek word for Zechariah condition wey fit mean say e no fit talk, or say e no fit hear, or both. After, when dem born di baby, im neighbours make sign give Zechariah to ask wetin dem go call di child. Dat detail don make plenty people wey read am think say e no fit hear too, apart from say e no fit talk. Whichever way, for about nine months, di old priest live inside silence, and di only answer to im questions na di child wey dey grow small small, sure sure.

You go find dis story for Luke chapter one, verse eighteen reach twenty-five. Di doubt wey Zechariah get no cancel God promise; e only give am time to watch am come to pass. And when im voice come back, di first tin wey e go do na to praise God. So see one question wey you go carry dey go. When God promise be like say e too sweet to be true, wetin dey help you to still trust am?