Luke 1:57-66

Meanwhile the time came for Elizabeth to have her child, and she gave birth to a son; and when her neighbors and relations heard that the Lord had shown her so great a kindness, they shared her joy. Now on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child; they were going to call him Zechariah after his father, but his mother spoke up. ‘No,’ she said ‘he is to be called John.’ They said to her, ‘But no one in your family has that name,’ and made signs to his father to find out what he wanted him called. The father asked for a writing-tablet and wrote, ‘His name is John.’ And they were all astonished. At that instant his power of speech returned and he spoke and praised God. All their neighbors were filled with awe and the whole affair was talked about throughout the hill country of Judea. All those who heard of it treasured it in their hearts. ‘What will this child turn out to be?’ they wondered. And indeed the hand of the Lord was with him.

Naming a child is a difficult decision for many parents, but it was even more difficult for Elizabeth and Zechariah.  You see, in this time the custom was to give a firstborn son a name that links them to their families.  But Elizabeth chose John (which means "God is Gracious", by the way!) because that's what God asked them to do through the angel's message.  While it may have been difficult to go against what was "socially acceptable" at that time, they decided to do the right thing.

That was not the only difficulty Elizabeth and Zechariah faced.  In Luke 1:6-7, we learn that "they had no children, because Elizabeth was barren; and they were both will along in years".  But through the power of prayer, Elizabeth and Zechariah are blessed with an incredible miracle, a baby boy. 

You may also be wondering why Zechariah wrote his message on a tablet.  (not be confused with an iPad) When the angel came to him to tell him that Elizabeth was to give birth to a son, he doubted the angel, and therefore was made mute for nine months!  Now some women may not think that was too bad... :)

But this scripture reading reinforces three important life lessons we must remember as we continue to strenthen our faith:

1.   Never doubt that God has a plan for you (and don't fight it!)
2.   Nothing is impossible  (miracles happen every day)
3.   John's motto later says He must increase, I must decrease.  God speaks to each of us in different ways. We can trust in miraculous things when we put God first.