67 And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying
68 “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, For He has visited us and accomplished redemption for His people,
69 And has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of His servant David—
70 Just as He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from ancient times—
71 Salvation from our enemies, And from the hand of all who hate us;
72 To show mercy toward our fathers, And to remember His holy covenant,
73 The oath which He swore to Abraham our father,
74 To grant us that we, being rescued from the hand of our enemies, Might serve Him without fear,
75 In holiness and righteousness before Him all our days.
76 “And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; For you will go on before the Lord to prepare His ways;
77 To give to His people the knowledge of salvation By the forgiveness of their sins,
78 Because of the tender mercy of our God, With which the Sunrise from on high will visit us,
79 To shine upon those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, To guide our feet into the way of peace.”
John the Baptist!
A very important figure in God’s plan!
Even today, he prepares the path for Jesus’ second coming by showing us how to prepare!
I love looking at European Castles and Cathedrals and Abbeys, etc. They are strikingly beautiful! Such devotion by the builders and such splendor and beauty to honor God!
Yet, they all have one thing in common:
They are practically empty!
How sad and disturbing that is!
I have been asking God what it was that would fill these empty places of worship. Several thoughts have come to my mind:
We pray for revival
If we were to live in rough economic times and had trouble heating our homes and putting food on our tables – we would be ‘flocking’ to our churches, seeking God’s help! Throughout history – when man prospers – man turns away from God. However, when things go bad, man knows to turn to God!
We do what God tells us to do in 2 Chronicles 7:13-20:
13 If I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or if I command the locust to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among My people, 14 and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
Let’s not forget what is often referred to as the Elijah Ministry:
To turn the hearts of the fathers back to the children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous.
Have A Blessed Day!