Advent Devotional on Luke 1:67-80   Luke 1:67-80 67 And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying, 68 Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; For he hath visited and wrought redemption for his people, 69 And hath raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David 70 (As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets that have been from of old), 71 Salvation from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us; 72 To show mercy towards, our fathers, And to remember his holy covenant; 73 The oath which he spake unto Abraham our father, 74 To grant unto us that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies should serve him without fear, 75 In holiness and righteousness before him all our days. 76 Yea and thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Most High: For thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to make ready his ways; 77 To give knowledge of salvation unto his people In the remission of their sins, 78 Because of the tender mercy of our God, Whereby the dayspring from on high shall visit us, 79 To shine upon them that sit in darkness and the shadow of death; To guide our feet into the way of peace. 80 And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his showing unto Israel.   The passage in Luke 1:67-80 is a prophetic statement by Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist. Zacharias explained what had happened, told us what would happen during his son's life and then gave us a vision of God's plans for the future. In verse 68 Zacharias explained that the birth of John fulfilled the prophecy that God would not forget his people. That part of the prophecy had already been fulfilled when Zacharias spoke. In verse 76 Zacharias speaks of the life that John the Baptist would live and how his life would fulfill the prophecy that said someone would come to prepare the way for the Messiah. That part of the prophecy is now history to us. In verse 74 Zacharias gives us a prophecy that has not yet been fulfilled everywhere. He describes a future where we can serve God without fear. We know this part of the prophecy has not yet been fulfilled because many Christians today are still persecuted. But we are fortunate to live in a country where we are protected from our enemies. Even so, do we "serve Him without fear"? Or do we let the fears of our daily lives come between us and God? Zacharias' prophecy was partially fulfilled at that moment, was partially fulfilled during the life of John the Baptist and is yet to be fulfilled in full. We are participants in this prophecy when we serve God without allowing the fears and anxieties of our lives to come between us and Him.   Prayer: Dear God, we are so very grateful that you are a God who fulfills your promises. You promised that you would send someone to prepare the way - and you sent John the Baptist. You promised to send the Messiah - and you sent your Son. You promised that there would be a time when your followers would be allowed to worship you without fear of persecution - and Lord, today we live in a country where that promise has been fulfilled. Help us Lord, to now live lives that honor the gifts you have given us. Help us Lord to serve you without allowing our inner fears to hold us captive. Please Lord, guide us.