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In the days of King Herod of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly order of Abijah. His wife was a descendant of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. Both of them were righteous before God, living blamelessly according to all the commandments and regulations of the Lord. But they had no children, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were getting on in years. Once when he was serving as priest before God and his section was on duty, he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to enter the sanctuary of the Lord and offer incense. Now at the time of the incense-offering, the whole assembly of the people was praying outside.Then there appeared to him an angel of the Lord, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. When Zechariah saw him, he was terrified; and fear overwhelmed him. But the angel said to him, ‘Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will name him John. You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He must never drink wine or strong drink; even before his birth he will be filled with the Holy Spirit. He will turn many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. With the spirit and power of Elijah he will go before him, to turn the hearts of parents to their children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.’ (Luke 1: 5-17)
Happy Friday dear Friend! I pray this finds you well and enjoying the blessings of life. Please remember to share with me any prayer concerns you may have in your life; Why do we pray? Because God answers prayer! And, sometimes prayer answers come many, many years later as we shall see in this Bible Story You Should Know.
Zechariah and Elizabeth were people of deep faith. In her lineage, Elizabeth came from a line of the priests chosen by Moses as inspired by God. These were holy, royal folks. And Zechariah by his training and devotion to God was a special priest in his own right. I love reading how they both lived "blamelessly" before God, living out the commandments and regulations of the Lord. These were people who could see the Love behind the Law and lived life in that way. Their only unanswered prayer was that they had not been able to have children. Elizabeth was well beyond child-bearing years and both she and Zechariah were getting on in years. It came to that one day when Zechariah was on duty, chosen by holy lot, to be the priest inside the holy of holies; the bridge between God and humanity, offering the incense, that strong smell that served to remain him and those who could smell it, of the presence of God. As he worshiped alone, people outside were praying for him and for themselves, and for the people of God. And as sometimes happens in worship, an angel of the Lord showed up! God chose that day and that worship to send a messenger with a mouth-dropping word. Of course, when a messenger from God shows up, the natural human reaction is to be afraid. It is not every day that we see angels. And, as most angel-trainees know, "The first response to humans is to always say, 'Do not be afraid.'" And the instructor also said, "And it helps to show you know the frightened guy's name. (I guess I due to watch Elf! Those who have seen it know the voice of the angel trainee and the instructor!). Hear the angel's next words, "Your prayer has been heard." At that point you and I would have said, maybe, which one? Or, in the case of some who pray this often enough, Wow! The angel says, "Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will name him John. You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord." Some instructions and clarifications followed. At this point, I would have been frozen just like Zach! A baby? At my age? That's all I would have heard. Thank God, Zach heard it all. And the part that blessed this priest's ears, "(he will) make ready a people prepared for the Lord." Boom!
The entire story is worth reading! It's almost comical to imagine the action after poor Zach leaves the sacred area. "John? We don't have any John's in our family; why that name?!" And poor Elizabeth, "At our age? What's going on Zach?" But you will read, that poor Zach could not talk for the nine months while Elizabeth was pregnant. His only job was to listen, obey, respond, and comply with Elizabeth's demands. "I feel like a Whataburger; sweetie, could you go and bring me one? Pretty please? I'm eating for two now, you know!" And the classic TV, "I want ice cream and pickles." Okay, that didn't happen. Israel only had Burger Kings.
The Advent of this child was very important to the coming of the Christ Child. God prepared many people and many hearts for this wonderful birth. For years, the people of God had known that God would send a Messiah, and in this event, God prepares in ways not understood by so many; God can and does, perform unexplainable things meant to be blessings, meant to be enjoyed, not explained, miracles. When a miracle comes our way, we are meant to just say, "Thank you!" Not, "How did you do that?" Don't take away from the awe and wonder of our faith in our awesome God! God does prepare for those events that will change the world; and this was one of them.
So, dear one, looking at the lights think of the stars in the sky that obey the commands of their Creator. May the garlands and wreaths remind us that even in nature, there is praise for the work of God. As wrapped presents arrive and you place them under the tree, remember the greatest gift God ever sent: His only Son, Jesus the Lord, sent for you and me. As you smell the scents of the season, think of the old man hard at work in the Temple and the aroma of the incense that prepared him for that unexpected visit that told of the coming of his son, John the Baptist, who, in the style of Elijah, worked hard to prepare the way of the Lord. If you see a woman walking with the load of a baby, think of the old woman who thought she would never be blessed in this way; a child, a son, a gift from God.
PRAYER: Awesome God of miracles and everyday happenings; let me be a part of the surprises You share with someone today. Grant me peace, joy and boldness to share Your love with those in need. Thank You for the gifts of John and Jesus. Prepare my heart for the celebration of Jesus' birth and for the day He returns. In Christ Jesus I pray, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! You could be part of a miracle today! Smile and go for it!
Eradio Valverde
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