Day 49: God's plan, God's person, God's time - Luke 1 vs 67 – 80.

67-68 Then his father, Zechariah, was filled with the Holy Spirit and gave this prophecy: “Praise the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has visited and redeemed his people. 69-71 He has sent us a mighty Saviour from the royal line of his servant David, just as he promised through his holy prophets long ago. Now we will be saved from our enemies and from all who hate us. 72-73 He has been merciful to our ancestors by remembering his sacred covenant - the covenant he swore with an oath to our ancestor Abraham. 74-75 We have been rescued from our enemies so we can serve God without fear, in holiness and righteousness for as long as we live.”

76 “And you, my little son, will be called the prophet of the Most High, because you will prepare the way for the Lord. 77 You will tell his people how to find salvation through forgiveness of their sins. 78 Because of God’s tender mercy, the morning light from heaven is about to break upon us, 79 to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, and to guide us to the path of peace.”

80 John grew up and became strong in spirit. And he lived in the wilderness until he began his public ministry to Israel. Luke 1:67-80 New Living Translation.

Having broken the tradition of naming his son after someone from the family, Zechariah, who'd been struck dumb for nearly a year, was filled with the Holy Spirit and able to speak again. And what a speech he gave! Remember, Mary had spent some weeks with Zechariah and Elizabeth and so they were probably already aware that something special was taking place in Israel. But it still took the Holy Spirit's guidance to show them how special! The short speech he gave touched on at least 30 things the Old Testament said about what was going to happen but we don’t have space to look at them all here.

But what do verses 69-71 tell us was God's plan in the coming Messiah?

Verses 72-73 point out that all of this was due to God keeping His promises. What do verses 74-75 tell us is the outcome of God's plan in peoples lives?

In verses 76-79 we see God’s person who was going to set His plan in motion. What would be at the heart of this man's message? (vs 77) Was his message something Israel deserved or had earned? (vs 78). See how beautifully conversion is pictured in verse 79. There’s surely nothing more wonderful that could happen to a person. (Thought: we may not be as special as John was, but we do have a similar message to tell to people when we get an opportunity.)

We also see that all of these things are in God's time. (vs 80) While the message was an urgent one, John (and Jesus) still had to grow into manhood. That should encourage us. Working for Jesus isn't a panic thing. We're not called to rush out and change the world. Like John we also need to grow in the strength of God's Spirit. We may feel as if our life has been like a desert till now – but if we spend time with Jesus He may yet have people who He will lead us to speak to.

P.S. One of the many parts of the Old Testament Zechariah referred to that speak of Jesus can be found in Isaiah 42:1-9.