Wonder Of Advent #28

Prepare the Way

Read: Luke 1:67-80

You, my little son, will be called the prophet of the Most High, because you will prepare the way for the Lord.

Luke 1:76

ZECHARIAH THE PRIEST fell into a common trap. Like many others in his time and ours, he made the mistake of admiring God’s works in the past but not expecting them in the present. He did not voice Gideon’s complaint to the angel who visited him—“Where are all the miracles our ancestors told us about?” (Judges 6:13)— but he might as well have. His question to the angel Gabriel expressed the same doubt: “How can I be sure this will happen?” (Luke 1:18). Suspicion is never a good response when hearing the voice of God, and Gabriel shut Zechariah’s mouth for the duration of Elizabeth’s pregnancy. For at least nine months, he would speak no more faithless words.

When his son was born and Zechariah’s mouth was opened again, he prophesied in faith. His words were filled with expectation. This son, John, who would come to be known as “the baptizer,” would prepare the way for the Lord. John would have a unique ministry of clearing a spiritual highway for the entrance of the Messiah. But in a very real sense, so did his father. Zechariah’s transition from nominal to genuine faith signified a profound and necessary shift. Nominal faith would not be enough to recognize what God was doing. This was a time for bold declarations of faith. By opening his mouth in prophecy and praise, Zechariah prepared the way for the one who would prepare the way.

It isn’t enough to believe that God once did great works. The faith of the patriarchs and prophets enabled them to see miraculous events, but their faith won’t enable us to see any miracles today. God looks for faith that lives and breathes right now. It begins when we recognize the miracles of the Incarnation and the Resurrection—Bethlehem and the Cross and everything in between—but God is still building his Kingdom through his people. He is still raising up those who will prepare the way of the Lord—into their circumstances, into their endeavors, into the hearts of the people around them. He is calling believers to actually believe, to live with expectation, to embody heaven’s atmosphere in earth’s environment, to be sensitive to his movements, to hear his voice, and to step into the story he is writing. Echo Zechariah’s words of faith. Live with open eyes. See the Kingdom, and clear the way for the King.

Prayer

Lord, help me live with expectation. Make me sensitive to your voice and responsive to your will. Fill my mouth with words that prepare your way. Amen.

REFLECTION

How can you prepare the way of the Lord in the lives of the people around you?

Further reading: Isaiah 40:1-5

Let every heart prepare a throne,

and every voice a song.

“HARK THE GLAD SOUND,” PHILIP DODDRIDGE