Contemplative Bible Reading

Luke 1:67-80 (New Living Translation)

⁶⁷ Then his father, Zechariah, was filled with the Holy Spirit and gave this prophecy:

⁶⁸ “Praise the Lord, the God of Israel,
because he has visited and redeemed his people.
⁶⁹ He has sent us a mighty Savior
from the royal line of his servant David,
⁷⁰ just as he promised
through his holy prophets long ago.
⁷¹ Now we will be saved from our enemies
and from all who hate us.
⁷² He has been merciful to our ancestors
by remembering his sacred covenant—
⁷³ the covenant he swore with an oath
to our ancestor Abraham.
⁷⁴ We have been rescued from our enemies
so we can serve God without fear,
⁷⁵ in holiness and righteousness
for as long as we live.

⁷⁶ “And you, my little son,
will be called the prophet of the Most High,
because you will prepare the way for the Lord.
⁷⁷ You will tell his people how to find salvation
through forgiveness of their sins.
⁷⁸ Because of God’s tender mercy,
the morning light from heaven is about to break upon us,
⁷⁹ to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,
and to guide us to the path of peace.”

⁸⁰ John grew up and became strong in spirit. And he lived in the wilderness until he began his public ministry to Israel.

I think I understand Old Testament prophecies. (I am happy to hear from those who can correct me on this understanding.) In the Old Testament, the LORD spoke directly to some people who were known as prophets. They told the people what the LORD was going to in the future. (They also said when the people were doing things that displeased the LORD.)

New Testament prophecy has been fuzzy in my mind. Listed above is a New Testament prophecy. That is what verse 67 tell us. So how  does a New Testament prophecy read?

1. Praise the Lord
2. A brief statement of what has happened recently
3. The future result of what has happened recently
4. Prediction of the future for John (the Baptizer)

Then a look back from years later at how the prediction (4) came true.