“His Name Is John”

“Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, because He has visited and redeemed His people.” — Luke 1:68

At last the time came for Elizabeth to have her baby, and she gave birth to a son! All her neighbours and relatives heard how kind the Lord had been to her, and they were so happy with her.

When the baby was eight days old, everyone came for his special naming day. They wanted to call him Zechariah, after his father.

But Elizabeth said, “No! He is to be called John.”

“But nobody in your family has that name!” they said.

So they made signs to Zechariah, who still couldn’t speak, to ask what he wanted the baby to be called. Zechariah asked for a writing tablet. And to everyone’s amazement, he wrote, “His name is John.”

At that very moment, Zechariah’s mouth was opened, and he could speak again! And the first thing he did was to praise God.

Everyone who lived nearby was filled with awe. All through the hill country of Judea, people talked about what had happened. “What will this child grow up to be?” they wondered. For they could see that the Lord’s hand was with him.

Then Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit, and he sang a song of his own.

“Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,” he sang, “because He has come to help His people and set them free! He has sent a mighty Saviour from the family of His servant David, just as He promised long ago through His holy prophets. He has remembered His holy promise, the promise He made to our father Abraham.”

Then Zechariah looked at his little son.

“And you, child, will be called a prophet of the Most High,” he sang. “For you will go ahead of the Lord to prepare the way for Him, to tell His people how to be saved by the forgiveness of their sins. Because of the tender mercy of our God, the sunrise will come to us from heaven, to shine on those who live in darkness, and to guide our feet into the path of peace.”

Can you imagine how Zechariah must have felt? He had waited all his life for a son. He had waited nine long months without saying a single word. And now his son was here, and he would be the one to get everyone ready for the Saviour.

The little boy John grew up and became strong in spirit. And when he was a man, he went to live in the wilderness, until the day came for him to start his work.

The promise kept: Zechariah sang that God had sent the Saviour “just as He promised long ago” to David and to Abraham (Luke 1:69–73). God’s promises had been waiting a very long time. Now they were all coming true.

Read it in your Bible: Luke 1:57–80

Dear God, thank you for your tender mercy. Thank you that Jesus came like the sunrise to shine on people in the dark. Please guide my feet into the path of peace. Amen.