| “And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High…” |
| —Luke 1:76a |
When I was in early elementary school, there was a boy in my class who was unkempt, unruly, and generally an enormous challenge to the teachers. One day, I heard the teacher speaking quietly to another teacher. They did not realize I could hear them.
“That boy,” my teacher said, “will end up in prison or dead before he’s twenty years old.”
I was startled by that remark. I didn’t know very much about prisons, but I imagined them to be very awful places. Even though the boy to whom she was referring did seem unusually annoying, it was hard for me to believe what she said about him.
But, sure enough, at age 17 that boy—by then living in another city—committed a triple homicide and ended up in prison without parole for the rest of his life. He became exactly what was predicted.
In your life and in mine, I wonder if we have met the predictions that may have been made about us at an early age of our lives. I’m not at all certain I have an adequate way of judging that. But, when I read about the birth of John the Baptist, as we discussed yesterday, I am pleased to know that his father, Zechariah, spoke accurately about John when he prayed these words found in Luke 1:76-78:
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, to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven
John the Baptist was the forerunner of his second cousin, Jesus. He is the one about whom another John, the Apostle John, wrote these words found in John 1:6-8:
There was a man sent from God whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.
It’s not at all surprising, given the circumstances of John the Baptist’s birth, that he had the hand of God upon him all the days of his life. He would even lose his life for the sake of the gospel. But, he truly became exactly what was predicted.
As we begin a new day, we should strive to be the people whom God has called us to be. To use John Wesley’s words: “He has plucked us as brands from the burning.” Before the foundation of the world, God has called us to belong to Himself. We are His dearly loved children.
Let us this day live as children of the Light. Let us truly become the people that God expects us to become. If we do, we will bring honor and glory and majesty to His precious and holy name.
Based on a blog originally posted on Friday, December 23, 2016
