Joel M Bradshaw

67His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied:

68“Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come to his people and redeemed them. 69He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David 70(as he said through his holy prophets of long ago), 71salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us—72to show mercy to our ancestors and to remember his holy covenant, 73the oath he swore to our father Abraham: 74to rescue us from the hand of our enemies, and to enable us to serve him without fear 75in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.

76And 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, 77to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins, 78because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven 79to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace.”–Luke 1

Today’s prayer gripped me as a father. I take my son and daughter to school every morning, and sometime during the car ride, the volume lowers and they get the ‘school prayer.’ I pray for them to listen to their teachers, to be good friends, and to make good decisions. To live this day for the glory of God. It’s not a magisterial prayer like Zechariah’s here, but it’s intentional and consistent.

Z’s prayer is unique in salvation history. He was the receiver of angelic promises. His son would be the forerunner in the spirit of Elijah that prepared the way for Yeshua HaMessiach. Z’s prayer gets its own context and my goal isn’t to rip it from that. I just want to focus on great prayer themes that hit me as I pray for my own kids.

Z focused on three things:

1. WHAT GOD HAS DONE
2. WHAT GOD WILL DO
3. HOPE CENTERED IN GOD

And Zechariah saw and proclaimed his son’s future story as proclaiming those three things. As you pray for your kids, center your themes on the work of God and the hope that we have only in him. Long for your story to be used for God’s glory. Maybe you pray with these themes for your spouse or even for yourself. Maybe you start your workday in the parking lot with a prayer much like I do with my children. I want to say a special welcome to our new subscribers. Thanks for joining us on the daily journey!–JMB