the light

Luke 1:67-79

“Praise the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has visited and redeemed His people (v7). Let’s start with word visit. In the Old Testament, Moses would meet with God in the tent of meeting and it says in Exodus 33:11, “that the LORD would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend.” I just love that so much! As New Testament believers, because of Jesus’ death and resurrection, we don’t have to meet with God in a tent or any physical place. We have unlimited access to Him through the Holy Spirit. May we never get over the awe and wonder that the Lord still visits and speaks to us, as a friend, through His Word and in prayer. To visit literally means, “to go see the poor, sick and afflicted.” In Mark 2:17 Jesus says, "Healthy people don't need a doctor, sick people do. I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners." No one is without sin but Jesus. We’re all poor in spirit and sick in our sin. Jesus is our cure. We all need a Savior. He was the ransom payment for our debt. Jesus came to set the captives free and in Christ we are free indeed (Isaiah 61:1 & John 8:36). Amen and Amen! That’s what is means to be redeemed. 

This prophecy or prediction is about John the Baptist and the calling on his life. It shows God's renewed activity on behalf of His people in light of promises made long ago. God made a holy covenant with His people (v67). The Lord is again at work to bring His promises to pass. “But I will never stop loving them nor fail to keep my promise to them. No, I will not break my covenant; I will not take back a single word I said” (Psalm 89: 33-34). What a comfort we have because He has identified us as His own by placing the Holy Spirit in our hearts and guarantees everything He has promised us (2 Corinthians 1:21-22). What beautiful assurance to know that all the promises of God are Yes in Jesus! We read that John’s father, Zechariah, was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied that his son will be called the prophet of the Most High, because he will prepare the way for the Lord, to tell His people how to find salvation through forgiveness of their sins (v76-77). Once we were lost but now we are found. We were blind but now we see. We were destined for death but God offers us eternal life and guides us to the path of peace. We sat in darkness and the shadow of death because of our sin. BUT, the morning light from heaven shone upon us (v78-79). Jesus is the Light. So now the question we have to ask ourselves is how do we respond to God’s tender mercy and to the gift of salvation? It’s simple, we walk in the Light and we bear witness about the Light. In John 1:6-8, we read that John the Baptist was sent from God to tell about the light so that everyone might believe because of his testimony. John himself was not the light; he was simply a witness to tell about the light. As children of the Most High, that’s our calling too, to be a witness and walk in the Light. In closing, I want to challenge you to personalize this verse from the book of John. “I, ____________, am a child of God sent to tell about Jesus so that everyone might believe because of my testimony.” 

God, thank you for the gift of salvation. Help us to live our lives worthy of our calling. To be a light in our community and offer hope by way of Jesus to a broken and hurting world. I pray many will believe because of our testimonies. We love you and we thank you for your faithfulness and mercy to us.