Today’s Saint

Daily Journey with the Saints


November 5 | Patience in Prayer

Saint Elizabeth

First Century BC–(Unknown)



What unanswered prayer are you holding in your heart today?

Sometimes God takes his time answering prayers. Sometimes when we get our answer, it can be difficult, frustrating, and even devastating. But other times, we realize that the unanswered or delayed answers were actually a real blessing, saving us from ourselves and our own plans. 

Elizabeth had an unanswered prayer for decades: she wanted to have a child. But as time passed, it became clear that she would never bear children. She must have had so many questions: Why do other people get to have children so easily? Why not me? Did I do something wrong to deserve this? 

But here’s the truth: God had a different plan (and a longer response time) than seemed humanly possible. 

You know the story, but consider it anew today. One day, Elizabeth was with her husband Zechariah when an angel appeared. The angel said to Zachariah: "Do not be afraid . . . for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call him John. You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great before the Lord. He shall drink no wine nor strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb . . . "

Some sources say that Elizabeth was 88 years old when God answered her prayer. What’s the lesson we can learn from her life of waiting? 

First, God listens to his people. God listens to your prayers.

Second, we can never have enough patience. Patience is knowing what to do while you wait for God to answer your prayer. It is so easy to busy ourselves with all the wrong things while we are waiting for God to answer our prayer. But patience is filling that time, that space in your life, with the things that will make you better able to live out whatever it is God asks of you next. Patience is knowing what to do while you wait for God to answer your prayer.



What prayer am I waiting for God to answer? How can I fill this time of waiting with the right things?

I will wait patiently for God to answer my prayer.


This reflection is brought to you from book title.


Feast Day: November 5

Feast Day Shared By: Saints Dominus, Theotimus, and Companions

Patron Saint of: Pregnant Women

Also Known As: The Mother of John the Baptist

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