“Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,
for he has visited and redeemed his people
and has raised up a horn of salvation for us
in the house of his servant David,
as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old,
that we should be saved from our enemies
and from the hand of all who hate us;
to show the mercy promised to our fathers
and to remember his holy covenant,
the oath that he swore to our father Abraham, to grant us
that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies,
might serve him without fear,
in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.
And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High;
for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,
to give knowledge of salvation to his people
in the forgiveness of their sins,
because of the tender mercy of our God,
whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high
to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the way of peace.”
Luke 1:68–79
In the above text we read Zechariah’s Benedictus, or statement of praise. Zechariah has just gone through a long season of silence and of childlessness. Upon the deliverance of his son and the renewal of his speech, the first words out of his mouth verbalize the reality of the faithfulness of God throughout all of history, the continued faithfulness of God in his own life, and beyond him in his son’s future. He’s connecting the dots.
Winter’s my least favorite season. I think it has something to do with my mom passing away right after Christmas when I was a kid. Not to mention the cold, the lack of sun. A few winters ago I got sick of dreading November through March, so I asked my mentor for advice. She shared that when she finds herself in similar moments she will rattle off ten things she’s grateful for aloud. “Verbalizing gratitude changes the channel in our minds. Just give it a try.”
The next time I experienced those feelings I was driving to work. Change the channel. I chewed my lip as I warmed my hands. Not much came to mind, so I started with the basics. “God, thank you for the breath in my body. You woke me up today. I have a car that works. I have a job that helps me to pay my bills and go to school. I have clothes to keep me warm. I have people who love me. I have health in my body… ” The immediate shift of my attention was striking. No longer was I thinking about what I lacked, but all I had. My fingers were still cold, but something had changed in my heart and head.
How does one hold fast, especially during times of suffering, dry seasons, lonely winter nights? We can remember who God has been, who God is, and who God continues to be.
Over and over we shape our world with the words from our mouth, and in doing so our lives can become a Bendictus to our ever-present, ever-faithful God. Who brought the Israelites out of Egypt. Who ensured victory for Joshua. Who preserved David’s life. Who comforted me when my mom died. Who helped me pay my way through school. Who provided a job for me here! Who wakes us up every day into an opportunity to serve and to love. Who gives us glimpses of sun in the dead of winter, gives this next breath we’re breathing.
Let us hold fast to the truth of our reality: our horn of salvation is here. What He promises, He fulfills. We say it aloud, and when we need to, we say it again.
Kelsey Sivertson is the administrative assistant to the dean of social sciences at Hope College.
Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.