Today, I turned the page and began reading through the New Testament in my chronological Bible reading plan. Yesterday was Malachi; today is Luke and John. About four hundred years pass between the end of Malachi and the New Testament. These are usually called the silent years. No vision or prophet from the Lord is recorded for our reading.
On top of that, the Jews are tired. They have lived under the rule of Babylon and Persia for centuries, and now Rome. When we turn the page from the Old Testament to the New, nothing feels new for these Jews—it is just another typical day for ordinary people living under a repressive regime. When will their prophesied King come?
But something is different. The angel Gabriel appears to Zachariah and Mary, announcing two miraculous pregnancies. John and Jesus are soon to be on the way! Just like that, we slip into the New Testament, and almost no one notices. Eventually, Zachariah’s wife, Elizabeth, and Mary meet and notice the joy between them. Elizabeth gave a glad cry and exclaimed to Mary, “God has blessed you above all women, and your child is blessed. Why am I so honored, that the mother of my Lord should visit me? When I heard your greeting, the baby in my womb jumped for joy. You are blessed because you believed that the Lord would do what he said.” (Luke 1:42–45, NLT)
As I thought about this, I was reminded that God’s big movements often start in small, hidden, and quiet ways among ordinary people. Even the birth of Jesus was in a small town of no significance. What an encouragement for the tired and weary who live commonly and are of ordinary means. God is at work in your life and mine. As believers, let us learn to rejoice in the mundane and the ordinary—often the epicenter of the plan God unfolds over time.
Thank you for joining me as I read and journal chronologically through the Bible! This devotional reflection comes from Luke 1; John 1:1-14.