Praying in Love: Lessons from the Benedictus (“Song of Zechariah”)
Do you treat God like a Santa Claus? Do you rattle off a list of wishes to God in hopes you get something? There are times I’ve prayed like that. But God is not Santa Claus…not even close. God is far better than Santa in every way. Perhaps, even in unexpected ways.
My point is this, our prayers should be more than just wish lists. They should be filled with such great love for God. So, the question becomes: how do we pray in love? How do we show God our love for Him through prayer?
For help solving this problem let’s turn to an important figure in the Christmas Story–Zechariah. Now, the truth is when we talk about Zechariah around Christmas we typically focus on his initial unbelief and that’s it. But there is more to Zechariah’s story than that. After John was born, Zechariah prophesied and praised God in what has become to be known as the Benedictus, or Song of Zechariah.
The Benedictus is filled with awestruck love for God, His plan for Salvation through Jesus, and how we can get involved in God’s plan. It is to the Song of Zechariah that we now turn to learn more about praying in love.
1) Praise God for Salvation
“Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come to his people and redeemed them. He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David (as he said through his holy prophets of long ago)…”
Luke 1:68-70
Here we first see Zechariah praise God for salvation. One of the best ways we can show God love is through praise and thanksgiving. John 3:16-17 tells us that God shows His love to us by sending Jesus to save us. So, when we take time to thank God for this wonderful Christmas gift we reflect that love back toward God.
Notice the three things God does for His people:
- Comes to His people,
- Redeems His people, and
- Keeps His word to His people.
Jesus is at the center of all three of these things. He is the one be became God in the flesh. He is the one who is the way, the truth, and the life. He is the Living One and promised Messiah.
So, we can show God love in prayer by being thankful for Jesus. And everything He did.
2) Count the Ways Salvation Has Changed You
“…salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us—to show mercy to our ancestors and to remember his holy covenant, the oath he swore to our father Abraham: to rescue us from the hand of our enemies, and to enable us to serve him without fear in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.”
Luke 1:71-75
Second, Zechariah reflects on the way that salvation has changed him and his people. The gospel always transforms lives. It always leaves things changed. Let’s look at the specific things Zechariah reflected on in his song.
…to show mercy to our ancestors…
First, Zechariah reflects on God’s mercy. Mercy is compassion or forbearance shown to an offender. In other words, God doesn’t punish sin right away. The punishment of sin is death. But God shows mercy. Perhaps, Zechariah is reflecting on his own sin of (and his own peoples history of) unbelief. He is expressing gratitude for God’s mercy.
Looking back on all the things we’ve done wrong, the mistakes we’ve made, the failures, and at times our own unbelief, mercy is something to be thankful for. God’s salvation is an act of mercy, because it gives us an opportunity to repent.
…to remember his holy covenant…
Second, Zechariah reflects on God as a promise keeper. God remembers his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and his descendants, and chooses to keep His word. I’m sure in Zechariah’s day things were beginning to look hopeless. The promised Messiah was nowhere to be found and the Jewish people have been enslaved in Egypt, led to captivity in Babylon, and now crushed under Rome. Zechariah, perhaps felt weary and expected a bleak outcome. But, then, he heard the angel speak. After his initial unbelief and shock, he praised God for keeping His word.
God is always going to keep his promises to us. He will always give us what He promised to give us. Even though it may look bleak and we may feel weary, God will keep his word. So, as we wait for God to keep His word to us…let’s reflect and thank God for the promise He already kept–to send Jesus to be our salvation.
…to rescue us from the hand of our enemies…
Third, Zechariah reflects on God’s salvation as a means of rescue for him and his people. Zechariah might have been looking at this salvation as a rescue from Rome. But God always gives more than what we are expecting. Did God rescue His people from Rome? Yes, in time. But this Salvation was a spiritual salvation. A salvation from death and seperation from God forever. In truth, it was an unexpected salvation. Everyone got more than what they asked for.
God always goes above and beyond our expectations. God’s salvation rescues us from the devil and eternal separation from God. He rescues us from our fears, doubts, shame, guilt, depression, addictions, etc. And in return, gives us Jesus. He gives us more than we could ever ask for. So, when praying spend time reflecting on past things God has rescued you from.
…to enable us to serve him without fear and in holiness and righteousness…
Fourth, Zechariah reflects on how God’s salvation enables him to live for God every day. Zechariah has come to realize that becuase of the gospel we no longer have to serve God in fear and we can a life of holiness and righteousnes that God requires. How? Becuase God rescues us from our enemies and gives us more than we ask for.
So, not only are saved from sin, but we are given Jesus’ holiness and righteousness. The Spirit that was in Him is now in us (Romans 8:11). The Holy Spirit enables us to live for God every day. We can do that without fear of judgement and in a way that reflects His holiness and righteousness. The Holy Spirit helps us live for Jesus and gives us the boldness to do so.
3) Thank God for Using You in His Plan
“And 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, to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace.”
Luke 1:76-79
Lastly, we see Zechariah praise God for the role his son will play in God’s plan of salvation. Zechariah prophesies that his son will be a prophet that prepares the people for the coming of the Messiah. He will do this by giving his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins. The truth is God enjoys using people in His plan. He loves to use the weak to humble the strong, use the student to educate the teacher, etc. God loves to get us involved in His plan.
Zechariah prophesied that John would prepare the way of the Lord by sharing the gospel. We live on the other side of the crucifixion and resurrection. But our mission is similar (Matthew 28:16-20). We are still called to share the gospel and prepare the world for Jesus’ return.
Often people feel like they are not really living. Or they pursue peace in life. We can remind them that Jesus is the Prince of Peace and is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. We are to live in such a way that our lives reflect the gospel as we go around reminding people of the good news of salvation.
God enjoys using people in His plan. So, be open to being used by Him and thank God for the opportunity to partner with Him in His plan.
Conclusion
Earlier, we asked a question: How do we show God our love for Him through prayer? The short answer is to focus on God’s plan of salvation when we pray. But if we take Zechariah’s lead, and follow his example, then we will pray with awestruck love for God, for His plan for salvation through Jesus, and for how we can get involved in God’s plan. We can do this by:
- Praising God for salvation,
- Counting the ways salvation has changed us, and
- Thanking God for using us to spread the gospel.
This is how we pray in love. Praise God for his Christmas gift of salvation. Focus on the blessings you have. Why? Because God is so much more than Santa Claus. His blessings are so much more than what we could ask for from a wish list. So, pray in faith and pray in love.
