The Hand of the Lord

Scripture:

Luke 1:56   And Mary remained with her about three months and then returned to her home.

Luke 1:57   Now the time came for Elizabeth to give birth, and she bore a son. ⁵⁸ Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown his great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her.

Luke 1:59   On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to name him Zechariah after his father. ⁶⁰ But his mother said, “No; he is to be called John.” ⁶¹ They said to her, “None of your relatives has this name.” ⁶² Then they began motioning to his father to find out what name he wanted to give him. ⁶³ He asked for a writing tablet and wrote, “His name is John.” And all of them were amazed. ⁶⁴ Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue freed, and he began to speak, praising God. ⁶⁵ Fear came over all their neighbors, and all these things were talked about throughout the entire hill country of Judea. ⁶⁶ All who heard them pondered them and said, “What then will this child become?” For, indeed, the hand of the Lord was with him.

Observation:

It would have been widely known that Elizabeth had never been able to have children. When this baby arrived, the entire community rejoiced with her. They gave praise to God for blessing her with this gift. 

Normally a baby would have been named at birth, but both Elizabeth and Zechariah knew that God had planned all of this out. In obedience they were waiting to name the boy. It was at his circumcision that the family suggested the baby be named after his father. Zechariah must not have lost his hearing and his ability to speak because people were gesturing to him. It was customary to name the child after someone in the family and no one had the name John. “The name John is a theophoric name originating from the Hebrew name יוֹחָנָן‎ (Yôḥānān), or in its longer form יְהוֹחָנָן‎ (Yəhôḥānān), meaning ‘YHWH has been gracious’” (Wikipedia). 

Even in the naming of this child we find the hand of the Lord. God was gracious to Elizabeth and Zechariah, but also gracious to all of humankind. In the moment of naming the child, Zechariah was miraculously healed. Overwhelmed with it all, he began to praise God. One can only imagine what the neighbors thought at this moment. Something unusual was happening in regard to this child, and the news spread quickly throughout the entire community, for surely the hand of the Lord was on him. 

Application:

From the announcement of his birth, through the pregnancy and finally his naming, John’s parents could see the hand of God. This was God’s grace made evident in every detail of John’s life. While John is a unique figure in history, the presence of the hand of God in his life is not. God’s grace reaches out to all of humanity, inviting us into a pathway that God has already created before us. John’s parents, through their obedience, were already gently guiding him to that path so that as he grew, he could continue in that familiar direction. 

We have the opportunity to influence the lives of others around us and participate in God’s guiding hand. God invites us to become participants in His prevenient grace in the lives of people. Elizabeth and Zechariah were obedient and the results were seen in the life of their son. God may want to use us for someone who will influence the future of this world. When we recognize the hand of the Lord on someone, may we join in with God, being obedient to the shepherding process. 

Prayer:

Lord, help me to live in the power and presence of your Holy Spirit, allowing you to lead every day. Amen.