Advent Day 13

"And they made signs to his father, inquiring what he wanted him to be called. And he asked for a writing tablet and wrote, 'His name is John.' And they all wondered. And immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he spoke, blessing God.

    ~Luke 1:62-64

You may notice the overlap of verse 62 from yesterday's post, but instead of framing it through the lens of community, I want to use it to highlight Zechariah's response.

As the patriarch, Zechariah has the authority. Ultimately, it doesn't matter how firm Elizabeth is; if Zechariah gives their son a different name, he will not be called John. Their community looks to him. And what does he do with this authority?

Though Zechariah had been initially resistant to the promise, he follows God's command. 

Instead of using his authority to question the name, the promise, the purpose, Zechariah uses his authority to amplify God. To speak His will over his child. 

Though Zechariah approached God's promise with skepticism and doubt, God gave him the chance to partner with Him in declaring the promise to others. God gave him the opportunity to renew his faith and ignite others to the purposes of God.

And in that moment of affirming God's promise, in that moment of faith, in that moment of obedience, Zechariah's voice returns. In the months of having his own voice silenced, Zechariah was able to hear God's more clearly. And it's from that position of amplifying God's voice when he was given the authority to speak for himself (figuratively speak, that is) that his voice is restored. 

And the first thing Zechariah does is praise God. 

Can you imagine that moment?

This man has not been able to speak for almost a year, and out of nowhere praise starts pouring from his lips. 

What a testimony.

As their community is participating in the miracle of John's life, they bear witness also to the miraculous restoration of Zechariah's voice. They experience it firsthand. And that miracle is completely inseparable from the praise which signifies it. The miracle is joined to the Miracle-Worker. All eyes must've been turned to their King in that moment. 

It's so easy to miss God's presence around us. I wonder how many small miracles pass us by. I wonder how many big miracles fill our vision so much that we focus on them above the One who gave them. Zechariah and Elizabeth's community wouldn't have known that Zechariah was amplifying God's command in the answer he wrote, but in being faithful, God gave Zechariah the opportunity to amplify His name in a way that all those who surrounded him would recognize. 

I think we'll find that when we amplify God in the unseen places, He'll give us more opportunity to amplify Him in everything else, to make Him known, and to give Him praise before others. Our lives are His testimony.