And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, to give knowledge of salvation to his people in the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.” Luke 1:76–79 (ESV)
Heavenly Father, it’s easy to forget the other child of promise you sent as an important part of the Advent story—John the Baptist, the forerunner of the Messiah and friend of Jesus. John’s birth and life are a grand testimony to your faithfulness and the power of grace to change and free us.
Grant us the joy that filled John the Baptist, and his freedom to grow small in the world’s eye (John 3:29-30), that Jesus might be greater in the world’s gaze. And grant us the joy of John’s parents, Elizabeth and Zechariah (John 1:13-14), who only wanted what you wanted for their son. May the same be true as we consider the lives of our kids and grandkids.
Indeed, what more could we want for our children than for them to love Jesus more than anything or anyone else in the world? What other story would we write for them than a story of resting in your love, growing in your grace, and serving you with joy?
Father, we lift our children and grandchildren to you. For those who don’t know you yet, please bring them to a saving knowledge of Jesus. Make the gospel beautiful and irresistible to them. For those who do know you, take them into even greater intimacy with yourself. Refresh their faith, stir their affections for things above, and grant them the peace you alone give.
Our prayer for our children and grandchildren is the same one we offer for ourselves: Father, guide our hearts deeper into the riches and habits of the gospel, and guide our feet more surely onto paths of peace. Free us to live and love well between the two Advents of Jesus—loving mercy, doing justice, and walking humbly with you. So very Amen we pray, in Jesus’ holy and loving name.
