At the end of Luke 1 we pick up just as Zechariah receives his ability to speak again. After naming his newborn son — whom we now know as John the Baptist — Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and then began to speak over his son’s life.
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.
Luke 1:76-79
From his birth, John is given a charge and a calling: to prepare the way for the Lord, to prepare God’s people for the promised Messiah, and to begin to share the light of salvation that was coming to God’s people. I’ve sometimes wondered why? Why did God send John in advance? He likely didn’t have to, but He chose to send a prophet — a messenger — out in front preparing the ground where Jesus would walked and teach.
I’ve noticed that God often does the same in our lives. He often sends people in front of us. Whether they be trusted friends, family members, or even people that we have never met. They help ready our hearts and prepare us for the work that God is doing in and through us. Sometimes we don’t even recognize the influence of these people until years later.
Last week I had the opportunity to have a conversation with a worship pastor who wrote a few of the first worship songs I ever learned on guitar back in high school. I remember playing these songs and experiencing God in new ways through them in those formative years. Now some 25+ years, as experienced pastors and leaders, we together were able to discuss what God is continuing to place on our hearts as we follow after Him. But in this conversation I couldn’t help but reflect how the songs that God had placed on this leader’s heart 25 years ago had helped form what God was also doing in mine.
So as you go through this day, reflect and think back – who are some of the people that God has placed in your life that prepared you to experience Him in new and life-changing ways? Who are some of the people that helped lay the groundwork for what God is doing in your life? Thank God for their obedience and their influence on your life.
Photo by David Marcu on Unsplash
