The second half of Luke 1 concentrates on the same people that the first half of Luke 1 concentrates on. For example, right after Gabriel appears to Mary, she travels to Elizabeth's home and stays there a few months, until John the Baptist is born. As the naming process unfolds, Zechariah and Elizabeth's neighbors are incredulous when they find out that the baby's name won't be Zechariah! Finally they ask the still-not-talking Zechariah what he wants to name the baby. He motions for some writing material and writes,
"His name is John." ~Luke 1:63
Immediately afterwards, God loosens Zechariah's tongue, and the aged priest once again speaks. This time, he praises God for all the wonderful things he has done.
Scripture:
"My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior," ~Luke 1:46-47
Observation:
Praise to God--this is what I got most out of the second half of Luke 1. When Mary arrives at Elizabeth's place, Mary breaks into song and praises God. After John the Baptist is born, and Zechariah's tongue loosened, he breaks into song and praises God.
Application:
I don't know about you, but I've certainly found in my life that it is a lot easier to concentrate on the negative things in my life more than the positive. But when I sit down and recount all the positive things that have happened in my life that day, I find I have much to be grateful for! So it's not that there are not positive things happening; it's just that we don't seem to take notice of them very much.
Today's Bible reading really reinforced to me the concept of praising God and thanking Him for what he has done for us. Today, I have a challenge for you. You'll need some paper and a pencil to start with. At the end of your day, write down five happy, positive things that have happened to you that day. Do this for one week.
I started keeping a "thankful" journal last month, and even though I was miserable with a cold, I can't tell you how many things I found I was thankful for! I really don't know why, but at the end of the day when you see all these great things in your life, you feel a lot better.
So keep a "thankful" journal for one week. You'll be surprised at how many things you're thankful for!
Prayer:
Dear God, thank you for letting me read this Scripture passage today, and thank you for reminding me of the importance of being thankful. Help me to be more thankful for the positive things in my life during the next week. Amen.
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