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Songs can
leave an impact upon us. Songs can change things. Most of us sing when things
are going great, but what if they’re not, can we still sing? In the last blog we saw that
Mary could sing after receiving very overwhelming news.
When you
love someone you might want to sing to them. Sometimes parents sing silly songs
to their young children. I used to sing Sinatra’s ‘I’ve Got You Under My Skin’ to
my young daughter Sara as we danced and I held her in my arms. Over the years it became ‘our’ song.
Were all marked by songs aren’t we? Certain songs stand out when were celebrating or grieving. Some songs bring back memories or can bring us to tears. Zechariah sang a song from the depths of his heart that had to with his son John the Baptist and hope of Israel.
Imagine the
old Jewish priest Zechariah singing to his son John? Maybe John like my
daughter would say, ”Sing it
again dad, sing it again.” Maybe Jesus would tell his
mom, “Sing it again mom, please.”
Maybe while
John was growing up Zechariah told his son, “Your heavenly father might ask you
some day to do something really hard?” We know that John’s mission “to prepare
the way of the Lord” was not an easy one, especially when your diet includes
eating honey and locusts.
Miraculously
(both well beyond childbearing) Zech’s wife gave birth to their son John and
they were both very excited to say the least! At his birth Zech broke out into his
celebrative song, Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit
and prophesied: “Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel,
because He has come and has redeemed his people.” Luke 1:67-68
Therefore
the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will
give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel
(God is with us) Isaiah 7:14.
After years
of waiting, God’s divine visitation had ‘finally’ come to Israel just as God
had promised! Israel had been wondering when their God would speak again? After
four hundred years of silence since the prophet Malachi spoke God fulfilled His
promise as he said He would!
How long
have you been waiting for something or someone?
Maybe you’re
in a long cold winter of waiting and are feeling kind of hopeless and losing
your sense of purpose? Then, you need hear Zack’s chorus, ’He has come!’
He has come and revealed His Son to show His extravagant love to you! He wants to assure you that He knows everything about you and cares about you. You are His work of art that is yet to be completed!
Perhaps
we’ve become cold and numb and in desperate need of a touch from God? Maybe
we’re feeling guilty about something we’ve gotten into? Maybe
we're worried about our future? Once again we need to hear Zack’s
words, ’He has come to
redeem His people’ to give us hope for today and our
future.
In the midst
of our winter of discontent sometimes we can’t see clearly. We might not even
be able to see our own reality. We might be blinded by our own grief and
tears. If so, hear the encouraging words of Isaiah.
I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them. Isaiah 42:16
When things seem hopeless and uncertain be encouraged that, ’He has come’ for you too! He has come to bring light into your darkness. Jesus came to live and die for you so that you could truly know Him and be His now and forever! Now, that is something to sing about don’t you think?
Everyone sings something. So, what will your song be? May you be reminded this winter that Zechariah’s chorus ‘HE HAS COME’ can be “your song” too!
