Dec. 01, 2024

It was the most important day of his life for old Zechariah, priest uner the Old Covenant of Israel.  He was chosen to enter the Holy Place of the temple and offer incense on the golden altar of incense while the other worshipers were praying outside.  Zechariah would, no doubt, also have been praying for the peace of Jerusalem and the coming of the Messiah.  However, the angel's response to Zechariah indicates that he was also praying for a son.  God chose this holy moment to answer both of Zechariah's prayers: "Fear not, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard.  Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to give him the name John. . . . he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children . . . to make ready a people prepared for the Lord." Zechariah's Christmas prayer was answered in a far greater way than he could ever have imagined.  Your Christmas prayer may be for peace in our troubled world, but hopefully you will also pray for your children and grandchildren that they may be used of God to turn hearts back to the Lord.  Your son or daughter may be the one God uses to proclaim the gospel to a neighbor or a nation. They may be the one God uses to "make ready a people prepared for the Lord." Let your Christmas prayer be that your descendants may be filled with the Holy Spirit and that they may serve the Lord faithfully all the days of their lives.