ADVENT DAY 6: Dec. 6
Luke 1:67-80
Zechariah
67 And his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, saying, 68 “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people 69 and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David, 70 as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old, 71 that we should be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us; 72 to show the mercy promised to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant, 73 the oath that he swore to our father Abraham, to grant us 74 that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve him without fear, 75 in holiness and righteousness before him all our days. 76 And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, 77 to give knowledge of salvation to his people in the forgiveness of their sins, 78 because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high 79 to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.” 80 And the child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness until the day of his public appearance to Israel. ESV
Out of Silence
By Scott Drumheller
In Luke 1, we see Zechariah question the angel Gabriel when he tells him that his wife will bear a child in their old age. I love this moment because God literally silences him. Zechariah is unable to speak until what the angel said comes true. You might be praying to God right now and feeling like He isn’t answering. But let me ask you: when was the last time you were silent? When was the last time you simply read your Bible without asking for anything? It’s in the silence that we can hear Him more clearly. Sometimes we need to pray for the Lord to quiet us, so that we can truly listen.
Zechariah’s inability to speak was mostly a blessing. It was the sign God gave him to let him know that God’s promise would come true. After waiting in silence, Zechariah was blessed with a word from the Lord. He went from quiet to proclaiming good news, all in God’s time. Without the silence, there would not have been a song.
Prayer:
God my mind is full of questions and waiting for answers is hard for me. Help me make the most of silence, so that like Zechariah, I will go from silence to obedience to proclaiming your word. For Jesus sake, Amen.
