Luke 1 Zacharias and Elisabeth waited for this moment — for years. They were married for years and elderly without ever conceiving a baby of their own. While Zacharias sincerely prayed in the temple, an angel came to him and said Elisabeth would conceive a son and his name would be John. After coming to full-term, Elisabeth delivered her son. Her neighbors and relatives visited her to celebrate the Lord’s mercy by blessing them with a child. They were excited and shared that joy with Elisabeth. Eight days after the birth of Elisabeth’s son, they circumcised the baby and gave him a name. “His name will be Zacharias, named after his father, Zacharias,” the man prayed. “No,” Elisabeth interrupted. “His name will be John.” “But none of your relatives have that name,” they responded. Waiting for an answer, Zacharias asked for a writing table and confidently wrote, “His name is John.” Everyone was shocked. Suddenly, he was overcome with the Holy Spirit and prophesied of his newborn son. “Praise the Lord, for He redeemed His people,” he began. “He sent his prophets to tell us that we will all be saved if we keep His commandments and serve Him for the rest of our lives.” Gently, he looked down at his newborn son with love and joy. “John, my son, you will be a prophet of God and spread knowledge of salvation to everyone,” Zacharias prophesied of his son. “You will help guide people who sit in darkness to peace by teaching them about repentance through God’s tender mercies.” Just as Zacharias foresaw, John grew and was spiritually strong as he began to preach in the wilderness.
