Characters at the Cradle: John the Baptist, Awe and Wonder

by David Chadwick

"And fear came on all their neighbors. And all these things were talked about through all the hill country of Judea, and all who heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, 'What then will this child be?' For the hand of the Lord was with him." Luke 1:65-66.

When Zechariah's voice returned, he started blessing God for all that had happened to him and Elizabeth. He was incredibly grateful for the birth of his child.

The text goes on to tell us that all the neighbors were filled with fear. The "fear" talked about here is not dread or being afraid. On the contrary. It's the awesome respect that one has for another. It's a holy awe. This is what I felt toward my dad growing up.

This large, godly man caused me to revere him in every way. Proverbs 1:6 says, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." Our society and nation have forgotten the fear of the Lord. The reverence of God has become non-existent. To some, he is often treated as a best pal or buddy. For others, he is treated as a genie in a bottle to whom people only go to get their needs met.

When God does a mighty work like miraculously bringing John the Baptist into the world, people are forced to come face to face with his divine grace and mercy. And the fear that this produces is good! It should make us want to love, serve, and worship our Daddy in heaven even more!

When people thought about John and his arrival, they began to wonder about his future. "What would this child be?" They knew the hand of the Lord was upon John, and they could already sense it was for something great.

They were right! This special child went on to be the forerunner for the life and ministry of Jesus, as prophesied in Malachi 4:5. John the Baptist was the beginning of the inauguration of God's kingdom through Jesus. He would go on to baptize Jesus and point people to his earthly ministry.

Find Jesus and you will find his kingdom. Find his kingdom and you will hunger to find your place in his story. You will hunger to see the kingdom of heaven come on earth as it is in heaven. His will is to give us glimpses of glory here on earth until the King named Jesus comes again!

Awe and wonder filled the hearts of all who heard the news of John the Baptist's birth.

I pray that awe and wonder will swell in each of your hearts this Christmas season!