Day 2- I am so glad you all came back to embark on our 25 day journey to Bethlehem
We continue our journey in Judea, as Zechariah continues his wonderful story of how the Lord blessed him and his family.
Zechariah: I am so glad you are here! Yesterday I spoke of a day that went from ordinary to extraordinary. It was a day that I was offering incense to the Lord in the sanctuary when an angel of the Lord appeared before me. In shock and complete fear of the presence of the angel I listened as he told me the message the Lord had sent, and it was that my wife Elizabeth would bear me a son.
Today I am so excited to tell you about my son, his amazing qualities and characteristics all given to him from the Lord and that my son would be the very one who would precede the coming of Christ.
….So as I stood there in the sanctuary in the presence of an angel I listened as he began describing all the characteristics my son would obtain.
-I hope you will be able to vision this next moment as we hear the qualities of this child, I know for you and I it is qualities we hope our own children will possess.
The angel spoke “Zechariah the son that you will have is to be named John. He will bring you and others great joy (and that he did) and he will be great in the eyes of the Lord. (And that he was) Not only that but John will be filled with the Holy Spirit before his birth, and he will persuade many Israelites to turn to the Lord. He will be a man just like Elijah with spirit and power. He will change hearts and disobedient minds to accept godly wisdom. Most of all he will prepare people for the arrival of the Lord.” (Luke 1:13-17)
All I could think was WOW! My wife and I are old in age and now we will bear a son and he will do great and mighty things for our Lord. This is just half of the qualities and characteristics our son John would possess. The rest will come later on. It is a lot to take in; so much it left me questioning his sincerity.
Now as I look back, it was a true honor that God wanted to bless me and Elizabeth. But it was a greater honor that He found favor in us to give us a son in our old age and that our son would lead the way for the Lord.
I again must stop here for now, as I must go and do the work the Lord has called for me to do today. I can’t wait to meet with you again so I can share the moment of speechlessness the good news left me in.
We do not have to be an Elizabeth or a Zechariah or have a child like John. But we should desire to acquire the same qualities, loving and serving God wholeheartedly. God wants us to be exactly who He made us to be, and he wants our children to be exactly who He made them to be. Unique children of God, created in His image, covered in His blood, and faithful followers of Him. God can and will use us to share the word of God with the world. We all have a purpose, we all have a message to share, and we all are here to glorify the Lord.
