August 10 – Preparing for Jesus’ Arrival – Luke 1

Jesus’ arrival on this earth was a well planned and well prepared for event.  God brought John the Baptist to this earth for the specific purpose of preparing the people for the Messiah, Jesus Christ.  God miraculously gave Zacharias and Elisabeth their first child late in their life.  In verse in 66 all the people that witnessed the naming of John, knew that this child was a special child.  This verse says that the hand of the Lord was with him.  It was God’s perfect will that John would be the forerunner of Jesus Christ, preparing the way for His acceptance.

God also prepared Mary with godly friends.  As Mary had received the news that she was going to have a baby as a virgin, you could imagine the anxiety and uneasiness she could have been going through.  Mary visits Elisabeth, and is encouraged greatly through Elisabeth’s great spirit.  Mary sings a joyful song with her newfound confidence in verses 46 through 55.  We see how important a godly friend can play in preparing us to fulfill the will of God in our lives.  Sometimes we cannot control finding a godly friend in our time of need, but we can always be a godly friend to others in their time of need.