Go On...

“And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him, to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins…And the child grew and became strong in spirit; and he lived in the desert until he appeared publicly to Israel.” Luke 1:76, 77, 80

This passage is introducing no other than our beloved John the Baptist as he is introduced by his father following the circumcision of his son. My commentary states that “The mission of John was to be the Savior’s herald. John would be the prophet of the Most High, preparing the hearts of the people for the coming of the Lord, and proclaiming salvation to His people through the forgiveness of their sins.” Believer’s Bible Commentary, p. 1373

The word herald means messenger, bearer of news as a person who has a sense of urgency in his delivery. John’s entire purpose for his life was to be the messenger of a Savior soon to come and mighty to save. John spent the majority of his life living and experiencing the wild ways of the desert. Scripture records that in the desert the Lord’s messenger became strong in spirit and the ‘child grew.’

I cannot depict a more clear example of spiritual growth than that one simple verse which sums up John’s life. We are all babies in Christ until we face the dangers and fear of the desert. It is not until we are forced out of our comfort zones and into the darkness of uncertainty that we grow from spiritual babies into seasoned heralds for Christ. It is through our times in the desert that we feed off of the provisions of faith in God alone. We put our trust in Him alone since our darkness is unrecognizable and fearful at best. Just as God did with John in the desert He will accomplish the same for us when experiencing our dark times.

Then…one beautiful day, when we emerge from our desert, those people who knew us before will say, ‘My, how she has grown,’ and we will sing our stories of God’s redemptive love and unyielding deliverance.

So…you, my child, go on before the Lord!