God told Zechariah and Elizabeth that they would have a baby in their old age and that their baby would help people get ready to meet Jesus, the Savior. When their son, John, was born, Zechariah couldn’t contain his praise to God because he had hope that the Savior was coming soon and that their salvation was nearby. We can still place our hope in the God of our salvation today because He is the same today as He was when John the Baptist was born!
Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel,
because he has come to his people and redeemed them.
(A prophecy, as you might have heard, is a message from God. Sometimes prophecies are about things that are going to happen in the future.) Read Malachi 3:1 and 4:5. Then read Matthew 11:7–15. Luke 1:17 says that John had the “spirit and power of Elijah.” Just as Elijah pointed people to God, John pointed people to Jesus!
God, thank You for sending John the Baptist to tell other people about Jesus. Please help me to do the same thing. Amen.