Daily Devotions
Luke
Luke 1:67- 80 ; ( Additional reading : Psalm 34 ) "IF YOUR HEART IS VERY FULL"
Day 26 – Luke 1
Text: Luke 1:67- 80 ; ( Additional reading : Psalm 34)
IF YOUR HEART IS VERY FULL
Imagine yourself as Zacharias. You have been praying for a child for many years. All seemed hopeless, until one day you had a heavenly visitor, and he brought good news! You would have a son, and that child would be someone significant in the sight of God. How would you feel?
However, because of unbelief, you could not bring yourself to believe the promise of the angelic visitor. For the next nine months, you have been unable to speak; you accept that as just chastening. The period of chastisement is now over, and all is forgiven, and this time round you determine that you would not let the Lord down – how would you express the fullness you feel in your heart?
“BLESSED IS THE LORD GOD OF ISRAEL…” Luke 1:68
The very first words that Zacharias uttered after a long period of silence are very significant! Were those words spoken to his son? Were those words addressed to his wife, Elizabeth? No, Zacharias’ heart was full of the Lord. His heart and mind were filled with praise and thanksgiving to the Lord! We appreciate again, why Luke wrote that he and Elizabeth were “both righteous before God” (Luke 1:6).
The word “blessed” needs a little bit of explanation! Zacharias could not actually bless the Lord. The verbal idea of blessing suggests that a higher being is bestowing favour on a lesser being. Zacharias was not pronouncing a blessing on God when he said, “Blessed is the Lord God of Israel”.
The word “blessed” is not a verbal idea here. This word is really an adjective. The adjectival idea is essentially descriptive. From this word “blessed,” we have the word “eulogy.” A “eulogy” is a special word of praise that people offer in appreciation of a departed loved one. The very best thoughts and words are chosen to be given in honour and in praise of a beloved one who has departed from this world.
Zacharias was thus ascribing to God the praise that is due to His Name. The word “blessed” is not a verb in this sentence. It is essentially an ascription of praise.(This word is also used in a similar way by the Apostle Paul in Ephesians 1:3. It is also similarly used by the Apostle Peter in 1 Peter 1:3).
The heart of Zacharias was not filled with joy and love because he was now a proud father! His heart was full of gladness because he understood the significance of the birth of his son, John. His birth heralded the fact that God had “visited and redeemed His people” (Luke 1:68).
Zacharias was righteous and blameless indeed. All his life he had been serving Israel as a priest. His function was to care for Israel. His main ministry was to pray for Israel. His love was for his nation Israel. With the birth of his son, he knew, he understood prophetically, the significance of this special event!
The celebration of the heart should be focused on what the Lord God of Israel was going to do for His people. He was going to visit His people once again. He was going to redeem His people. It had been four hundred years since the last prophet spoke to Israel. The prophet Malachi had prophesied that one day, a special messenger of the Lord would come and he would turn the hearts of the people to God (Malachi 4). Zacharias , filled with the Holy Spirit , could see this prophecy being fulfilled in the life of his son.
His heart was not proud that his son should be specially chosen to serve the Lord in this special capacity. His heart was filled with thanksgiving to God that He was going to visit and redeem His people!
FILLED WITH THE RIGHT THOUGHTS
To be truly filled with the Holy Spirit must also mean that we are filled with the right focus and the right thoughts. Zacharias shows us what it means to be truly filled with the Holy Spirit of God.
Let us desire to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Let us look out for the right kind of focus, and the right kind of thoughts that would fill our hearts and minds.
One of the ways in which we can ensure that our hearts and minds are filled with the right kind of thoughts is to take time to read more of the Lord’s Word. Take time to read Psalm 34. In this lovely psalm, David shows us how we can offer praise continually to the Lord who has blessed us in so many ways. Let us learn how to be so filled with the Word of God that when we experience the filling of the Spirit of God, our lips would say, most naturally, “Blessed is the Lord…”