How many times did Zechariah request from God a child?

Question

When we read through the NIV of Luke 1:13 - 14, it is clearly stated that Zechariah was told by the Angel of Lord that his 'prayer' had been heard from God. Was it that same time he was praying or was it several other times he came on duty? If be so for the first time of his prayer then perhaps the old man never needed a child so soon. But Luke stated a saliant point that they were both advanced in age and his wife was barren, claiming that she had been having sex with her husband but no production of a kid since barrenness is seen.

Luke 1:13, 14 - 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. He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth

Answer 1

Short Answer: The Bible does not specify the exact number of times Zechariah prayed for a child.

Luke 1:13 ESV - But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John.

It is clear from Luke 1:13 that Zechariah had prayed for a child, as the angel said, “Your prayer has been heard.” Maybe this implies that Zechariah had been praying for a child for some time, not just during that specific instance when he was on duty in the temple.

Zechariah and his wife Elizabeth were both advanced in age. They had no children because Elizabeth was barren. This means that they had pleanty of time to pray. This situation is also similar to other biblical accounts where couples prayed for children over a long period, such as Abraham and Sarah.

Luke fills his first chapter with callbacks and allusions to the miraculous of significant figures in Israel’s history. Zechariah and Elizabeth are old and have no children: similar to how Abraham and Sarah were before the birth of Isaac.

It was a sad thing in those days to have no children. In their culture, having no children meant that your family line ended—Old Testament characters (like Job and Jacob) were blessed with many children. But being childless was a shameful thing. ^[1]

Therefore, I would say that it is likely that Zechariah had been praying for a child for many years before the angel appeared to him.

Answer 2

Jesus told an important parable about the persistent widow as a model of prayer in Luke 18:1-8, especially V1 -

Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.

Now, it is well-known that women in Bible times, from at least the time of Sarah, Rebekah, Rachel, Hannah and Manoah's wife, to Elizabeth longed to have children and prayed often to have this divine blessing.

Based on this context, I would reasonably assume that Zechariah and his wife Elizabeth and prayed many, many times for a child. Just how often they prayed we are not told, but I am certain it was much, much more than once.

Answer 3

Zechariah prayed for a child when people around started asking him after 10 months into his marriage, whether something was wrong with his wife who was not giving him a child. He prayed each moon-month when Elizabeth became ' impure' on periods, hoping that next time things would work out. Zechariah prayed each time he left home, hoping to hear 'good news' from Elizabeth on his return. He prayed each time he returned home from a long journey, sad to find that no little steps followed his dear wife. He prayed , remembering Abraham and Sarah, while noticing grey hair on his head and Elizabeth's. For him prayer for a child had now become a lingering emotion.
And, no one can count an emotion that stays with you 60x60x24x365.25!

You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle ( Psalm 56:8).

Yes, when teardrops are bottled, they stop getting counted, and are measured by volume or by weight !