[Zechariah speaking, emphasis mine]
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, because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace.

The path of peace.
Rescued out of darkness.
Saved from our sins.

All of the above three missions require steps to obtain them. John the Baptist had to first take these steps himself, not just once, but daily. Then he had to model them for others. To do this he had to be filled up and full of God’s Spirit. This is not a “one and done” type process. It requires connection to the power source, God. And after Jesus died on the cross, this connection has come through him. But before, it came to certain people, and they were mostly called prophets and priests.

This prophecy was one of extreme joy for Zechariah. It also came with a lot of potential pressure. How would he rise to the occasion to raise a son to be a prophet of the Most High? He was the one who had wrestled with believing God in the past. He knew he could do it, though, because he knew that God would help him to raise John in a Godly manner.

I once had the opportunity to have a troubled youth stay with my wife and me. In preparing for this challenge, I was soaking in the bathtub thinking about it, and all of the ways I would be able to invest in him and help him (great young man that I was:)). God hit me over the head figuratively with this impression: “I will do the work.” And he did, mostly through my wife and her heart of friendship. Earlier in my life, when we were about to have our first child, I was worried I would not be the father I should be, stressing over my future potential failures. As I prayed, God again impressed upon me this: “Just point your children to Jesus. He will take care of the rest.”

These two encounters with God took a lot of pressure off of me as a parent. My hope is they will encourage you too. God does the real important work! We get to assist him. And above all else, we should point our children to and teach them to rely on the one who can save them — Jesus Christ!

Back to John the Baptist, his calling is one that we can follow after as well: speak hope into the lives of others, lead them along the path to peace with God, and introduce them to The One who can save them!

Lord, thank you for the simple, yet powerful calling that you laid out for John the Baptist in his life; and for his parents in raising him. May I follow this example of keeping my faith active in simple ways. I lay all of the worries and pursuits and heartache of this world at your feet. May the sun come out and shine its light in the dark places and may I join your Son in his Rescue Work!