67 His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied:
68 “Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come to his people and redeemed them.
69 He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David
70 (as he said through his holy prophets of long ago),
71 salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us—
72 to show mercy to our ancestors and to remember his holy covenant,
73 the oath he swore to our father Abraham:
74 to rescue us from the hand of our enemies, and to enable us to serve him without fear
75 in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.
76 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,
77 to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins,
78 because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven
79 to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace.”
80 And the child grew and became strong in spirit and he lived in the wilderness until he appeared publicly to Israel. (Luke 1 v 67-80)
As with the Magnificat of Mary this outburst son of Zechariah is filled with beauty, wonder and truth.
Here is the centrepiece (underlined) as Zechariah turns his attention to his own son, John, in v76. He came second to Jesus in his song and Zechariah is clear on what his role would be in life.
The prominent One is Jesus.
John was an answer to prayer, he was a miracle child for sure, but he was not the prominent One.
It is the Lord.
The Bible tells us who He is. My prayer is that as you are reminded of these descriptions and titles of Him that your heart is stirred in worship and you are greatly encouraged.
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He is Almighty One (Rev 1:8); Alpha and Omega (Rev. 22:13); Advocate (1 John 2:1); Author and Perfecter of Our Faith (Heb. 12:2) and Authority (Matt. 28:18).
Are you understanding? It is Jesus.
He is the Bread of Life (John 6:35) and the Bridegroom (Matt. 9:15)
He is the Chief Cornerstone (Ps. 118:22)
He is the Deliverer (1 Thess.1:10)
He is the Faithful and True (Rev.19:11)
He is the Good Shepherd (John 10:1) and the Great High Priest (Heb. 4:14)
Who is most important? It is Jesus.
He is the Head of the Church (Eph. 1:22) and the Holy Servant (Acts 4:29-30)
He is the I Am (John 8:58); Immanuel (Is. 7:14) and the Indescribable Gift (2 Cor. 9:15)
He is the Judge (Acts 10:42)
He is the King of Kings (Rev. 17:14)
Who is the most prominent one? It is Jesus.
He is the Lamb of God (John 1:29); Light of the World (John 8:12); Lion of the Tribe of Judah (Rev. 5:5); Lord of All (Phil. 2:9-11) and the Loved Son of God (Matt. 3:17)
He is the Mediator (1 Tim. 2:5); Messiah (John 1:41) and the Mighty One (Is. 60:16)
He is the One Who Sets Free (John 8:36) and Our Hope (1 Tim. 1:1)
He is Peace (Eph. 2:14) and Prophet (Mark 6:4)
He is the Redeemer (Job 19:25); Risen Lord (1 Cor. 15:3-4) and the Rock (1 Cor. 10:4).
He is the Sacrifice for Our Sins (1 John 4:10); Saviour (Luke 2:11); Son of Man (Luke 19:10); Son of the Most High (Luke 1:32) and the Supreme Creator over All (1 Cor. 1:16-17).
He is the Resurrection and the Life (John 11:25).
He is The Door (John 10:9); The Way (John 14:6); The Word (John 1:1); The True Vine (John 15:1) and the Truth (John 8:32);
He is the Victorious One (Rev. 3:21)
Have you got it yet? It is Jesus.
He is the Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace (Is. 9:6)!!!
So the world doesn’t revolve around you nor does it revolve around your hero or bully. Jesus is the centre of it all.
When Jesus is Lord then you can survive any kind of wilderness (v80) that you may enter.
Missions Paul 