Luke 1:13-17 – Covenant Child

Just because God doesn’t answer our prayers for a long time, doesn’t mean the answer is no. Zechariah and Elizabeth have prayed for a child for years and years. Finally, God is answering their prayer. This should encourage us, especially as we pray for the salvation of others. God, who knows the best time for a child to be born, also knows the best time for one to be born again. We must not despair that a person will never become a Christian just because we have prayed for it for a long time.

John is going to bring joy to his parents? Why? Because he will be filled with the Holy Spirit. There is nothing that can bring more joy to parents than to see their children loving the Lord. Our children’s salvation should be the first and most constant prayer of everyone in the church – it’s far more important than wealth, ability, beauty, or even health. It is their love of the Lord that will make our children great to the One who matters most.

Children are never too young to receive the grace of God. Look at verse 15. The angel tells Zechariah that John will be filled with the Holy Spirit “even from birth”. Another translation reads “from his mother’s womb.” John is a Christian before he is born. He isn’t conceived a Christian, but at sometime between his conception and his birth, his heart is changed and he believes. What an amazing thing! God is able to change anyone’s hearts – even our youngest children. We must see them as responsible to God and stop imagining they are too young to believe. The heart that is not too young to sin, is not too young to be filled with the grace of God.

Questions
1. Why will John bring joy to his parents?
2. What should we pray for, for our children?
3. How can we expose our children to the Gospel?

Prayer Points
1. Pray for our covenant children.
2. Use prayer points from your congregation.
3. Pray for family matters.