As the age of miracles began, it was important that God–establish the players in HIS way. John would come as a miracle, live as a prophet, andwelcome the Messiah into the ministry that was first mentioned in Genesis, prophesied throughout the Torah, and planned by God. The mission was specific; to seek and to save that which was lost. John’s Father heeded the message from Gabreil. When asked, He named the boy John as he had been told. Immediately he could speak again. And what was the first thing out of Zacheriah’s mouth–praise for the Lord and prophecy for His son and the mission.
Interestingly, Zacheriah understood the import of the mission. He knew that He and Elizabeth would have to raise the child in the way of the Lord and prepare John for a ministry that heralded the coming of the Messiah. Time would tell they took that mission to heart and raised a hero.
This story is a great reminder that nothing is done by chance with the Lord. From creation, He has executed His plan with flawless perfection. Christ’s coming to the world was the loudest announcement of God’s love for us. He would make sure the evidence would be there to show it was no coincidence or elaborate fraud. The journey was foretold and now it would be executed step by step. We can trace the prophecies and see that only one man could fill the role of Messiah. Jesus. As such, we need to accept the truth and follow Him on this Amazing Journey.
God Bless You
57 When it was time for Elizabeth to have her baby, she gave birth to a son. 58 Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her great mercy, and they shared her joy.
59 On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to name him after his father Zechariah, 60 but his mother spoke up and said, “No! He is to be called John.”
61 They said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who has that name.”
62 Then they made signs to his father, to find out what he would like to name the child. 63 He asked for a writing tablet, and to everyone’s astonishment he wrote, “His name is John.” 64 Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue set free, and he began to speak, praising God. 65 All the neighbors were filled with awe, and throughout the hill country of Judea people were talking about all these things. 66 Everyone who heard this wondered about it, asking, “What then is this child going to be?” For the Lord’s hand was with him.
Zechariah’s Song
67 His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied:
68 “Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel,
because he has come to his people and redeemed them.
69 He has raised up a horn[c] of salvation for us
in the house of his servant David
70 (as he said through his holy prophets of long ago),
71 salvation from our enemies
and from the hand of all who hate us—
72 to show mercy to our ancestors
and to remember his holy covenant,
73 the oath he swore to our father Abraham:
74 to rescue us from the hand of our enemies,
and to enable us to serve him without fear
75 in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.
76 And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High;
for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him,
77 to give his people the knowledge of salvation
through the forgiveness of their sins,
78 because of the tender mercy of our God,
by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven
79 to shine on those living in darkness
and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the path of peace.”
80 And the child grew and became strong in spirit[d]; and he lived in the wilderness until he appeared publicly to Israel.
Walking With God 