June 25

Zechariah’s Prophecy

            Then his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke this prophecy:

“Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has looked favorably on his people and redeemed them.  He has raised up a mighty savior for us in the house of his servant David, as he spoke through the mouth of his holy prophets from of old, that we would be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us.  Thus he has shown the mercy promised to our ancestors, and has remembered his holy covenant, the oath that he swore to our ancestor Abraham, to grant us that we, being rescued from the hands of our enemies, might serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.  And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, to give knowledge of salvation to his people by the forgiveness of their sins.  By the tender mercy of our God, the dawn from on high will break upon us, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.”

The child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness until the day he appeared publicly to Israel.

Luke 1:67-80

    

            Zechariah looks at his little boy and sees the goodness of God.  John is only a week old; he can do nothing on his own other than poop and cry.  And yet when his father looks at the child he sees the embodiment of God’s blessing and faithfulness.  He sees the fulfilment of God’s promises to him and to his people.  He sees the man that his child will become; a man who will be instrumental in the world-changing work of God.  Zechariah looks at John and simply sees his son, his own flesh and blood, and his heart is filled to overflowing.

            I remember my son’s birth.  I remember the long struggle with labor.  I remember my wife’s heroic efforts.  Mostly I remember holding him, swaddled tight, as we sat in a rocking chair while my wife was attended to.  He was so small, so fragile, so full of potential and promise, but already perfect in my eyes.  I did not know what was to come.  I did not know about the sleepless nights and the food issues and the autism and the social issues.  I did not know how my life would change and who I would become and what was in store for him.  I did not know…and even if I had, nothing about how I viewed my son that morning would have changed.

            He was perfect.  He was mine and my heart belonged to him.  Nothing that has happened in the 6,000 days since then has changed any of that.  It is easy to get focused on the surrounding circumstances of life.  Who needs to be where?  How much will that cost?  What kind of education or employment would be best suited for where he is at right now?  It is easy to get lost in the scramble and hectic pace of life.

            However when I stop, really stop, and look at my son…I remember in a heartbeat who he is and why this life is worth the effort.  He is perfect.  His is mine and my heart belongs to him.  As he grows into his own man there will be more distance, both physical and emotional…but the reality of who he is to me will never change.

            This is exactly the way that God looks at us.  From the moment that we were born, He has been fixated and fascinated by us.  He looks at you and He looks at me and He sees perfection.  We are His and His heart is tied to ours.  All the mistakes?  All the pains?  All the rejection and fear and poor choices and words spoken out of hurt?  All of those things melt away when He looks at us and sees His child.  He is so deeply in love with you that the idea of losing you inspired Him to give up that which was most precious to Him to save you. 

            Jesus did not come to die out of duty or a grim sense of having a Messiah Complex.  He came because God was driven by love to hold His beloved children once again.  

A moment to reflect:

Remember God’s love for you and your love for you child.  Sit in those realities today.