October 17, 2023
Scripture: Luke 1:76-79 – “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 to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace.”
What it means
I know, a little early for Christmas/Advent, but let’s just have a little sample, okay?
This is the tail end of what is known as “Zechariah’s song” – the father of John the Baptist, as he witnessed the miraculous birth of his son and finally having his voice returned to him after 9 months of being silenced…and it all came spilling out in this beautiful song as he was filled with the Holy Spirit. All of this section is beautiful, but let’s focus on verses 78-79 for this devotional. God did all of this for our benefit – He sent a messenger to prepare the way for the Messiah, the Savior of the world, which we all desperately needed (and still do). “Because of His tender mercy”…never really stopped to think of it in those terms, but I think it is absolutely at the heart of the matter. He came for the express purpose to save all of us who are “living in darkness and in the shadow of death.” Very cool indeed!
What it means to me
The tail end of verse 79 details exactly how He will accomplish all of this – saving all of us who are as lost as a ball in high weeds…in the dark! He will “guide our feet into the path of peace.” You see, He’s the source of all light, correct? He opens our eyes, smooths our path, and offers us a way out of our darkness and misery that we’ve gotten ourselves into. Just follow the path of peace…listen for His voice, and follow His directions. Give Him space and permission to enter into our lives and direct our steps so that we would be in the light, not the darkness. It can be elusive at times, I totally get that. But if we’re quiet…if we’re still…He’s there. He’s always there, waiting on us to opt for the narrow road, but yet the path that leads to His perfect peace. We should all be like Zechariah – busting at the seams to tell our story. Let’s start getting excited about Christmas, because we have the secret as to why we ultimately celebrate this special holiday!
Love you guys, talk to you on Thursday!
In Christ,
Brian