Luke 1:59-60 On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to name him after his father Zechariah, but his mother spoke up and said, “No! He is to be called John.”

This little exchange reveals much that went on between Zechariah　 and Elizabeth during the months of the pregnancy. In the first place, he had to communicate to her why he couldn’t speak, which I’m sure he did in writing. The interesting thing is, many women in those days were completely illiterate, because they were considered not worth teaching. I wonder whether Elizabeth learned to read in her childhood, or whether perhaps Zechariah taught her after they were married? In any case, communication had obviously taken place between them, not involving other people, because everyone else was astounded at the naming of the child. The important thing is that both of them were in agreement, in faith, that this child was a special gift from God, designated by Him for important things. We have hardly any record of John’s upbringing, but we can be sure that it was in an atmosphere of faith and obedience to God. It seems likely that he was still young when his parents died, but the legacy of faith and obedience that they gave to him served him well.

As I am reminded often, I too was raised in an atmosphere of faith and obedience to God, and I am deeply grateful. I see so many around me who were raised in families that essentially ignored God, or were idolatrous (usually a combination of those two), or even actively denied any god other than science and human reason, and I get a glimpse of the inscrutable grace of God. I have no idea why I should be given such advantages over others, and it calls me to deep humility. Paul dealt with this issue in Romans 11, cautioning the Gentiles who had been added to the Body of Christ not to lord it over the Jews who had not acknowledged and accepted their birthright. God loves us all equally, but His dealings with each are different. We can’t possibly keep it all straight, so faith and trust are called for. All we can do is seek to be obedient in the tasks we are assigned, sharing the good news of the grace and mercy of God however He gives us opportunity, praying for those around us to receive faith even as we grow in it ourselves.

Father, as You well know, I’m shaken right now. Someone for whom I care deeply has received what could well be a sentence of physical death, and he hasn’t received eternal life yet. This is a crash course in prayer! As I’ve demonstrated for many years, I can’t convince him by my own wisdom, but nothing is impossible for You. I ask You to reveal Yourself to his heart, bringing to his mind the things he’s heard of You from me over the years. I ask You to give him physical strength and health sufficient to keep him here long enough to receive Your free gift of eternal life. Father, I want him with me in heaven. Father, thank You for this experience of praying with tears. I haven’t done a great deal of that over the years, and it’s an important thing to learn. I know You love him more than I do, and that’s a comfort. I pray, for him, for me, and for everyone involved with me, that Your will would be done in every detail, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!