A Message From God

Reading: Luke 3

1 It was now the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius, the Roman emperor. Pontius Pilate was governor over Judea; Herod Antipas was ruler over Galilee; his brother Philip was ruler over Iturea and Traconitis; Lysanias was ruler over Abilene. 2 Annas and Caiaphas were the high priests. At this time a message from God came to John son of Zechariah, who was living in the wilderness. 3 Then John went from place to place on both sides of the Jordan River, preaching that people should be baptized to show that they had repented of their sins and turned to God to be forgiven. 4 Isaiah had spoken of John when he said, “He is a voice shouting in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the LORD’s coming! Clear the road for him! 5 The valleys will be filled, and the mountains and hills made level. The curves will be straightened, and the rough places made smooth. 6 And then all people will see the salvation sent from God.’ ” (Luke 3:1-6 NLT)

Luke is very specific about the time and place in history in which these events took place. We know that God has a plan that spans eternity, but when God acts upon his plan it is with specific people, in a specific place, who are given specific assignments – a message to deliver, a work to be done, a mission to fulfill.

The detail that Luke gives about rulers and leaders is also very revealing. When it came time for God’s Son and Savior to be introduced to the world it was not to an Emperor, to powerful leaders of nations and regions, or to the priests who were governing the Jewish religious system and running the Temple, that God’s Message came. It was to John the son of Zechariah, in the wilderness. Even though John was the son of a priest and could have been part of the priesthood system, he was in the wilderness waiting and listening for the Message from God.

This is a good lesson for God’s people who are praying for another significant move of God to take place. This is a good lesson for me. God’s plan often looks different than I expect it to. It often involves people I wouldn’t expect and happens in places and through events and experiences I wouldn’t expect. I’ve got to keep an open mind and heart. I’ve got to be ready to change if God wants to use me and I’ve got to be ready to receive whom God uses and what God does if he does it some way, in some place, using someone I didn’t expect.

Prayer:

Father, Please help my friends and me not to miss it! Don’t let us get set in our ways and stuck in our opinions so we don’t hear your message and see your hand at work in our world. And please let us not be a hindrance, but be part of your plan in our world!