Location: Judea
Time: Circa 5 B.C.
Primary Scriptures: Luke 1 — The miraculous birth of John the Baptist and his role in preparing the way for the Lord.
Elizabeth, seated near the hearth in her home, speaks to a gathering of women who have come to hear her story. Her voice carries the gentle wisdom of age, mixed with the awe of one who has seen God’s hand move in miraculous ways.
From Elizabeth:
I am Elizabeth, daughter of Aaron, wife of Zechariah the priest, and mother of John. My story is not just about my son, but about the faithfulness of God, who fulfills His promises in ways beyond our comprehension.
For years, my husband and I longed for a child. We prayed, we hoped, but the years passed, and my womb remained barren. In our time, to be childless was seen as a reproach, a sign of God’s displeasure. Yet, my husband and I remained faithful, serving the Lord, trusting in His goodness even when our prayers seemed unanswered.
Then, when I was well past the age of childbearing, the impossible happened. Zechariah was serving in the temple, chosen by lot to burn incense before the Lord. While he was there, an angel appeared to him — Gabriel, the messenger of God. Gabriel told him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John” (Luke 1:13).
I can only imagine Zechariah’s astonishment. Gabriel went on to say that this child would be filled with the Holy Spirit even before his birth and that he would go before the Lord in the spirit and power of Elijah, preparing the people for His coming (Luke 1:15-17).
But my husband, overwhelmed by doubt, asked how this could be. He was struck mute as a sign, unable to speak until the child was born. When he returned home, he could not tell me what had happened, but I saw the wonder and fear in his eyes. Soon after, I conceived. It was as if the Lord had breathed life into a barren desert.
For five months, I kept to myself, pondering what God had done. “The Lord has done this for me,” I said, “In these days He has shown His favor and taken away my disgrace among the people” (Luke 1:25).
Then, in my sixth month, I received a visitor. My young cousin Mary came to me, radiant and full of wonder. She had been visited by the same angel, Gabriel, who told her that she would bear the Son of God. When she greeted me, the child in my womb leaped for joy, and I was filled with the Holy Spirit. I exclaimed, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?” (Luke 1:42-43).
In that moment, I knew that the child within Mary was the fulfillment of every promise God had made to our people. And my own son, John, would play a role in preparing the way for Him.
When the time came for my son to be born, my neighbors and relatives shared in our joy. On the eighth day, as was our custom, we brought him to be circumcised and named. The people assumed we would name him after his father, but I insisted, “No, he is to be called John.” They turned to Zechariah, who wrote on a tablet, “His name is John.” In that moment, his tongue was loosed, and he praised God (Luke 1:63-64).
Zechariah, filled with the Holy Spirit, prophesied about our son: “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” (Luke 1:76-77). My heart swelled with gratitude and awe. My son, this miracle child, would prepare the way for the Messiah.
John’s life was not easy. He grew up with a sense of purpose, knowing he was set apart. He lived in the wilderness, clothed in camel’s hair, eating locusts and wild honey. But his message was clear and urgent: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near” (Matthew 3:2). He baptized many, including the One he had come to proclaim — Jesus, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.
To this day, I marvel at how God chose to work through us — an old woman and her mute husband, a young virgin from Nazareth, and a child born in a stable. His ways are higher than ours, His plans beyond our understanding.
But this I know: God is faithful. He keeps His promises, no matter how impossible they seem. And He uses ordinary people to accomplish extraordinary things.
Closing Thought:
God’s plans are never thwarted by human limitations. He fulfills His promises in His time and uses ordinary people to prepare the way for His extraordinary work.
— Elizabeth
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