READING: Luke 1
There is so much in this first chapter of Luke that it’s almost wearying. A priest greeted by an angel, then struck mute because he didn’t believe what the angel said. An older woman and a young unmarried woman, both supernaturally pregnant. Another angel who explains the unexpected birth to the young virgin. A baby leaping in a womb. Mothers-to-be singing the praises of God. A husband, a wife, and their baby filled with the Holy Spirit. A father who gets his voice back when he names his newborn son “John” as the angel had prophesied. The forerunner of the Messiah growing strong as he grew up in the wilderness.
It’s all rather strange, actually. Who would’ve thought that the forerunner would be born to parents beyond child-bearing age and the Messiah would be born to a virgin? Who would’ve imagined that the forerunner would be raised in the wilderness and the Christ child born in a village called Bethlehem? But, God does what He does so that He alone gets the glory — and how can we not praise a God who would come to us, even in unexpected ways, when we could not get to Him?
That’s how God often works, though. He often operates in an unusual way, giving us more than we ever considered. For example, the book of Luke opens in a time of prayer when “the whole multitude of the people were praying outside” the Temple (Luke 1:10), and Zechariah and Elizabeth had been praying for some time for a child. “Your prayer has been heard,” the angel said, “and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John” (Luke 1:13). Yes, God would answer their prayer, and not just by giving them a child. He would call them to raise the one who would pave the way for their long-awaited Messiah.
God would indeed grant them more than they ever imagined. That’s just the way He is.
ACTION STEPS:
- Take some time today to meditate on God’s multiple gifts to you. He really does give us more than we deserve, doesn’t He?
- If you’re struggling with prayer, take heart that God still answers prayer — sometimes in ways that surprise us.
PRAYER: “Jesus, thank You for being my substitute. I love you.”
TOMORROW’S READING: Luke 2-3
