Day 4: Witness and testimony
On the eighth day [Elizabeth's neighbors and relatives] came to circumcise the child, and they were going to name him after his father Zechariah, but his mother spoke up and said, “No! He is to be called John.” They said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who has that name.” Then they made signs to his father, to find out what he would like to name the child. ...To everyone’s astonishment he wrote, “His name is John” (Luke 1:59-63).
Heavenly Father, long ago You declared to Your ancient people, “You are My witnesses, and My servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe Me and understand that I am He...” (Isaiah 43:10).
By design, You work in the lives of Your willing and obedient servants to reveal Yourself as God. And You instruct us to teach the things our ancestors have told us to each successive generation (Psalm 78:3-7).
John the Baptist was to be one of the most powerful witnesses for Your kingdom—the Elijah who was to come as forerunner of the Messiah (Matthew 11:14, John 1:23). The gospel writer John wrote of him, There was a man sent from God whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light [Jesus]... (John 1:6-7).
But before John would be a witness, his parents, Zechariah and Elizabeth, were themselves, a witness and testimony of Your power and might. They were determined to name their baby as they had been instructed by God's messenger, the angel Gabriel (Luke 1:11-20). This meant a break with long-standing, time honored, well-established naming customs and traditions.
As Elizabeth faced pressure from their relatives and neighbors, Zechariah—temporarily mute at the time—stood in unreserved agreement with his wife, writing on a tablet, "His name is John" (Luke 1:63). The arguments and the astonishment of the neighbors and relatives over the choice of name gave way to awe and wonder as the power of the Holy Spirit was seen, and as Zechariah regained speech:
All the neighbors were filled with awe, and throughout the hill country of Judea people were talking about all these things. Everyone who heard...wondered...asking, “What then is this child going to be?” For the Lord’s hand was with him. (Luke 1:65-66).
Father, we pray constantly for our children, and for the younger generations who face the challenges and uncertainties of our times. As we should. But Zechariah and Elizabeth remind us that the younger generation cannot realize their calling or fulfill their assignment without our own example and legacy of integrity.
For us, it may not be a matter of naming a baby. But in so many ways, custom, tradition, and convention may dictate choices that are not what You have designed for the children of Your inheritance. Give us the courage and the commitment to obey and uphold Your instructions as we guide, direct, or influence our young.
Help us to pray for them, nurture them, lead them, and guide them in such a way that our lives and theirs will be examples and witnesses of Your power. In such a way that the Lord's hand [will be] with them (Luke 1:66).
