He Shall Reignনমুনা

In this section of Luke, we meet a married couple, Zechariah and Elizabeth. God deemed them righteous in His eyes, yet they were unable to conceive a child because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both advanced in years (a nice way of saying “old”). Notice there’s no correlation noted between those two facts; they were considered “righteous”, yet they were unable to conceive. Needless to say, they needed an act of God to bring a child into the world. The good news is, God had a plan for their delay. He waited for the perfect time in history to bless them with this gift. Zechariah was approached by the angel Gabriel and told that his prayers and petitions had been answered - they would conceive a child. But there’s even greater news: this baby, named John, would play a key role in foretelling and preparing the way for the coming Messiah. Gabriel said:

“And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous - to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” (Luke 1:17)

As you read this, you’re probably thinking, “what great news!”, but Zechariah’s initial response was doubt and fear. He had questions, and in his mind, there was no way this plan would work! But we’ll save the rest of his story for tomorrow.

The John we read about here is famously known as John the Baptist. He is introduced in Matthew 3 by quoting the prophet Isaiah, “A voice of one calling: ‘In the wilderness prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.’” John was sent to prepare the way of the Lord and to preach a message of repentance because the kingdom of Heaven was coming near. 

Heaven and earth collided when Jesus came to earth in the form of a helpless babe and John’s sole purpose in life was to prepare the people for His coming. As we know, many rejected Christ to the point of death on the cross, but many did repent and recognize him for who He truly was: the Savior of the world. 

So when you consider this story and the doubt that began with Zechariah, who do you see yourself in? Are you full of prayers and petitions for the Lord, but when the prayer is answered, you’re doubtful because it isn’t playing out the way you imagined? Or are you, like John the Baptist, standing firm on truth and speaking it even to those who may not want to hear it? Simply put: it comes down to fear versus faith. Which controls your life more these days? 

APPLICATION:

If you find yourself sitting in the fear camp today, pray and ask God to remind you of His faithfulness in your life. One of the best ways to combat fear is to remind our souls who reigns above all. When we realize we never had any control to begin with, we can rest easy knowing the Lord holds us in the palm of His hand. The Word says that God is the author and perfecter of our faith. If we’re lacking any, we can ask Him to help us and to give us faith! He is faithful to give it to us when we ask.