My mother always tells me the story of how I came to be. She and dad had always wanted a child but they had never been able to conceive. So I was a miracle.

Mum said God told her the things I would do in my life before I was even born. God even gave her a name for me — John.

My mother’s name is Elizabeth and my dad was Zechariah. He was a priest in the temple but I never knew him. He was a very old man when he died. At the beginning we all lived in Jerusalem; that and the desert and mountains of Judea is all I’ve ever really known.

I don’t remember it but when I was one my mother had to run away from Jerusalem with me. We lived in the mountains for many many years. I know my mum will always regret leaving my father behind because that was when he got attacked and killed by Herod’s men. I don’t want to know the details, I never will.

As I got older my mother told me more and more about what God had said about me and it was difficult to take in at first. An angel had visited mum one night and told her I was going to be like Elijah. Of course I knew about Elijah from the temple teachings but how I was similar to him I wasn’t sure at first.

I was aware from an early age that there was a living being inside me; a spirit who guided my thoughts and a lot of what I did and said. I asked other people whether they had a similar experience but no one did and I think people thought I had been taken over by a demon when I talked about spirits in my body.

So it seemed that, like Elijah, the whole purpose of my life was to point people to a Messiah who would be coming — a leader like none we’ve ever known. And the time was coming soon when this man would revolutionise Judea. When I accepted this I knew I had to take it seriously, so I spent a lot of time on my own, talking to God and listening to Him.

So here I am now, preaching on the banks of the River Jordan, telling people about a man I think is coming soon, who will change Judea forever. What that means I don’t know; I’ve thought about it a lot but I never come to a definitive conclusion. There are so many unknowns, it scares me but I’m going to continue to be faithful to the God who created me.

In a way I don’t want this man to arrive because I know what my purpose is now. What will my purpose be once he is here? The world I know is the world I know; in a strange way the waiting is safe. Will he be safe? How will I know who he is? What if I’ve missed him?

Oh God, help me!