December 7th

December 7: Luke 1:11-17

Luke 1:11-17  (NIV)

Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John. He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink,and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born. He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

Reflection

The angel promised Zechariah that the Holy Spirit would fill his child even before he was born. The idea is that the Holy Spirit would be at work in him while he was still in his mother’s womb. In our world, we tend to think in very individualistic ways. We assume that God can only work in the heart and mind of someone who is willing and able. The reality is that God is at work in our lives long before we ever realize it.

If you have children, consider this: is it possible that the Holy Spirit is already at work in their lives, even if they are too small to understand it?

Whether you have children or not, is it possible that the Holy Spirit has been working in your life in ways you haven’t even realized, to bring you to where you are right now?

What has God done in your life up to this point to prepare you for what’s next?

Prayer

God, the One who works in us before we know it, continue your work in us, and open our eyes to the ways you’ve shaped and molded us in the past.