The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Luke 1:8-16, “Now it came about, while he was performing his priestly service before God in the appointed order of

his division,

9 according to the custom of the priestly office, he was chosen by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn

incense.

10 And the whole multitude of the people were in prayer outside at the hour of the incense offering.

11 And an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the altar of incense.

12 And Zacharias was troubled when he saw him, and fear gripped him.

13 But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your petition has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth

will bear you a son, and you will give him the name John.

14 “And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth.

15 “For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and he will drink no wine or liquor; and he will be filled with the Holy

Spirit, while yet in his mother’s womb.

16 “And he will turn back many of the sons of Israel to the Lord their God.”

Have you ever had to backtrack and pick up on something important? Well, that’s what I’m doing here. We last left Mary visiting with Elizabeth as they were both rejoicing over the children to whom they were to give birth. But the miracle of Elizabeth’s pregnancy was just as exciting as that of Mary’s!

Elizabeth’s husband, Zacharias, was a priest of God; and as he was performing his duties in the Temple, the angel Gabriel appeared to him, announcing that his wife, Elizabeth, despite her old age, would bear a son. Zacharias wanted to know more, but the angel closed Zacharias’ mouth because he did not believe the sufficiency of the message. Gabriel told Zacharias that his son’s name was to be John. Further, the angel assured him that his son would be “great in the sight of the LORD” and would “be filled with the Holy Spirit, while yet in his mother’s womb.” Ultimately, the people of Israel would rejoice and John was destined to “turn back many of the sons of Israel to the LORD their God.”

We today have this promise from God. The LORD is always aware of what is occurring on Earth. “He who keeps you will not slumber…The LORD is your keeper…” (Ps. 121:3ff). While we worry and grieve over world conditions (to say nothing of our own!), the LORD’s plan of deliverance is already in place. Our difficulty is that we are looking at the problem instead of the solution. Yes, John will ultimately be slain, and his cousin, Jesus, will be sacrificed on a cross. But, out of that chaos, the LORD God Almighty had pre-determined to deliver His people! He still will. We just have to believe!

Who knows what benefit came from the angel Gabriel’s shutting the mouth of Zacharias? Our lesson is surely that we are to rest our faith in the LORD. He is in charge of our world today, just as He was in charge of the first-century world! When I was a boy and occasionally got hurt, my tears were always wiped away with my mother’s assuring voice that said, “It will be alright.” Today, I’m hearing my LORD’s voice saying, “I am in control. It will all be well.”

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas 72764

United States of America

“We never know that Christ is all we need until He becomes all that we have.” – Corrie ten Boom