God's Plan

 

Luke 1:57-66, 80

The Birth of John the Baptist

⁵⁷ When it was time for Elizabeth to have her baby, she gave birth to a son. ⁵⁸ Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her great mercy, and they shared her joy.

⁵⁹ On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to name him after his father Zechariah, ⁶⁰ but his mother spoke up and said, “No! He is to be called John.”

⁶¹ They said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who has that name.”

⁶² Then they made signs to his father, to find out what he would like to name the child. ⁶³ He asked for a writing tablet, and to everyone’s astonishment he wrote, “His name is John.” ⁶⁴ Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue set free, and he began to speak, praising God. ⁶⁵ All the neighbors were filled with awe, and throughout the hill country of Judea people were talking about all these things. ⁶⁶ Everyone who heard this wondered about it, asking, “What then is this child going to be?” For the Lord’s hand was with him.

God's plan is most often not our plan, as many of us have experienced, but it always turns out to be the BEST plan. The story of the birth of John the Baptist illustrates this and reminds us to put our trust in
God and allow him to work wonders HIS way in our lives. This is not easy, since we are basically a stubborn lot whose pride assumes we have all the answers. Zechariah was muted for nine months, during which, he evidently learned to accept God's plan and not only received his ability to speak, but became and example for us to accept God's plan in our own lives. May we do so without having to "go mute."

Bro. Rene

Dear God, may learn to relax, assume my place in your plan and walk calmly and obediently with you. Amen.