Everyone has experienced suffering at one time or another. Recount a painful experience from your past. How have your own experiences of suffering changed the way you view/ interact with others in their suffering?

Read Luke 1:5-7. Think of someone you know that reminds you of Zechariah and Elizabeth. Have you or someone you love struggled with infertility? On a scale of 1-10 (10 = greatest), how significant do you think this pain was in their lives?

Read Luke 1:11-13. Try to put yourself in Zechariah’s shoes. What do you see, smell, hear and feel? What emotions might you be feeling in this moment? Why does it matter that Zechariah’s “prayer has been heard”? Read Psalm 55:16-17 and Psalm 56:8. How does it affect you to know that God hears your prayers?

Read Luke 1:14-17. In light of Luke 1:5-7 and Malachi 4:5-6, what is the significance of this promise for the couple, and for the nation, respectively?

Read Luke 1:18-25. Luke sets Zechariah and Elizabeth in contrast to one another. What is the difference in their responses (hint: see v20 and v45)? In the case of these two people, how can we tell the difference between believing and not believing?

Read 2 Peter 1:4. Just like Zechariah and Elizabeth, we participate in God’s divine work by believing his promises. What hardship or difficulty are you facing right now, and what promise are you clinging to in the midst of it? Share with one another, and pray for one another. Rom 15:13  May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.