December 6
Luke 1:11-17 (NKJV) Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing on the right side of the altar of incense. And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him. But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth. For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink. He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb. And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, ‘to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,’ and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”
This section of scripture shares God’s plan for John the Baptist’s life ~ he was to turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God; he was to go before Jesus in the spirit and power of Elijah; to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children; and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; and to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.
The angel of the Lord essentially tells Zacharias that his son is the fulfillment of the prophecy in Malachi 4:5-6. It is amazing to me that not only was God granting Zacharias a son…He chose to tell him about it through an angel…and also that his son ~ would not be just any son ~ but would be a fulfillment of prophecy. If he wasn’t frightened by “seeing an angel”…how about “hearing” that he had to raise a child who is the fulfillment of a prophetic word that people had been waiting for ~ for over 400 years…now that might be frightening.
The prophecy was given 400 years before and the people of God were watching and waiting for the One who had been promised. To be Zacharias and to receive this announcement from the angel, it would become clear to him that the One promised is coming ~ The Messiah.
What do these truths spark in you? Do they spark thankfulness to God for His fulfilling of promises? Do they comfort you in that, just as He was faithful to send The Messiah all those years ago, He will be faithful in your life today?
Spend the remainder of your time in prayer ~ praise Him for who He is ~ thank Him for what He has done ~ thank Him for speaking to you through His Word ~ ask for any help you may need from Him. He loves you so much and He is faithful to you.
Merry Christmas ~ Laurie Kay
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