Good morning, everyone.
Our verse for today comes from Luke 1:59, “So it was, on the eighth day, that they came to circumcise the child; and they would have called him by the name of his father, Zacharias. His mother answered and said, ‘No; he shall be called John.’ But they said to her, ‘There is no one among your relatives who is called by this name.'”
There was a lot of amazing stuff going on at Zacharias and Elizabeth’s house. First, the angel appears to Zacharias at work and tells him that he and Elizabeth are going to have a son. No small feat for a couple as advanced in years as they were. And it won’t be just any son. He will be great in the sight of the Lord, turning many of Israel back to God and going before Jesus as Elijah to prepare the way for Him. And down the road a bit, in cousin Mary’s house and her fiancé Joseph’s house, angels are showing up and announcing an even more miraculous child. God certainly is making His presence known in a very tangible way, at least to two families at this point. Then, as Mary goes to be with her expectant cousin, Elizabeth’s unborn son leaps in her womb, bearing out the promise from the angel that he would be filled with the Holy Spirit even in the womb. So then Elizabeth’s time comes, and their son is born. Eight days later, it is time to circumcise and name the child. And that’s when good ole tradition and routine shows up. God had been orchestrating and arranging His perfect plan through these people for months. He had awakened a dormant womb, blessed a virgin one, and struck a father mute for doubting. But when it came time to name the child, everyone at the ceremony just assumed it was going to be called Junior.
And why not? His dad was a good man, and had even lost his speech in receiving this blessing. So how about a nod to him? Sounds reasonable. And isn’t that right where we like to operate? Smack dab in the middle of reasonable. I can read about every miracle Jesus did, but when it’s my turn to believe, when it’s my turn to go against the grain, I go right back to Junior. With God, John is possible. Without Him, I go with Junior. With God I get the unreasonable and the improbable. Without Him, I get what I’ve always gotten. I need to live out my faith where reason won’t take me.
As we seek Him today, don’t try to explain everything that God wants you to do. Don’t even try to understand it all. Just let Him lead you wherever He will.
Have a great Monday.
#4 Rich Holt
Dad of Ripken, Koy, TrishaJean, Samantha, Kakie Holiday and Raleigh
Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them.
