A Thrill of HopeSample

Have you been through a season where you felt like you were just waiting in the uncertain? Perhaps at those times, it felt dark. I remember a season like that after a miscarriage. After a period of grieving, the heaviness slowly lifted. It wasn’t fast, but it happened, and eventually there was light.

In this passage, after months of not being able to talk, Zechariah is filled with the Holy Spirit and speaks. He praises God for His faithfulness to His people—for the long-promised Saviour and the light that is about to break through centuries of waiting. He also speaks tenderly to John, his son, saying “you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways” (Luke 1:76, ESV)

Zechariah's words echo the prophetic promise of Malachi 4:2 (ESV) that for those who fear the Lord, “the sun of righteousness will rise with healing...” The light is Jesus. The healing is His grace and mercy. And John’s life is the turning point between centuries of waiting and the dawn of fulfillment.

In this song, there is a vision of great hope and mercy. Zechariah’s story and song reminds us that even in lengthy silences, God has not forgotten His people. His promises rise, quietly and steadily, like the sun.

Today, ponder this: Where do you need light to come through in your life? Could it be that even in the waiting, or especially in it, God is preparing a sunrise to bring light? What would it look like for you to trust that His tender grace and mercy are on the move?