Be Still And Know

Luke 1:8-10 'One day Zechariah was serving God in the Temple, for his section was on duty that week. As was the custom of the priests, he was chosen by lot to enter the sanctuary of the Lord and burn incense. While the incense was being burned, a great crowd stood outside, praying.' Luke draws attention to the importance of prayer more than any of the other Gospel writers. He presents Jesus as the man of prayer so it is not surprising that, right at the start of his Gospel account, Luke draws attention to the fact that there was a crowd of people praying. As Zechariah performed his duty in the temple, it was a supremely holy moment, and one of breath-taking importance for Zechariah. Although he was involved in serving in the temple twice a year, priests were only allowed the privilege of entering the sanctuary to burn incense only once in a lifetime. There were probably about 1,000 priests in Zechariah’s section, so some priests never had the privilege of performing this sacred duty. Zechariah was clearly