The Importance of Zechariah's Prophetic Prayer

The prophecy "teased" in the headline is the prophetic prayer of Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist.  In my NIV study Bible, the prayer's subhead is "Zechariah's Song" and notes, "This hymn is called Benedictus, ('Praise be') because the opening word in the Latin Vulgate translation is ‘Benedictus.'" This prophetic "song" -- recorded in Luke 1: 68-74 -- immediately follows the birth of John the Baptist. Let's read it now and then discuss why Zechariah's prayer is a great New Testament prophecy that I would argue does not receive enough attention.