An Amazing God
Wow! Really think about this! You and your spouse are a couple up in years. You wanted a child, but that never came about, and you realize it is now too late. Yet you have faithfully served the Lord, regardless of your disappointment. Verse 6 says that Zechariah and Elizabeth "were upright in the sight of God, observing all the Lord's commandments and regulations blamelessly".
Then, in the midst of your godly service, an angel appears to you announcing that you will have an ideal child! Imagine an angel sent from God telling you these things about your child.
1. He will be a joy and delight to you.
2. Many will rejoice because of his birth.
3. He will be great in the sight of the Lord.
4. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from birth.
5. He will bring many people back to the Lord.
6. He will turn the hearts of fathers to children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous - to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.
What more could a parent ever ask?
Of course the birth of John the Baptist was planned from the beginning of time to prepare the way for Christ. But there are several principles here that can be applied to us. When we are "upright in the sight of the Lord", when we are dedicated and obedient, God will orchestrate the events of our lives. He can perform the impossible, and bless above and beyond what we could ever imagine. Furthermore, like Zechariah and Elizabeth having a child in their old age, it is never too late for Him to accomplish great things in our lives. So don't ever give up. He is an amazing God!
© Inez Haythorn
