God’s Sunrise
Through the heartfelt mercies of our God,
God’s sunrise will break in upon us,
Shining on those in the darkness,
Those sitting in the shadow of death,
Then showing us the way, one foot at a time,
Down the path of peace. [Luke 1:79, MSG]
A Diagram of Peace
My middle school English teacher would have diagrammed this complicated sentence with ease. “The meat of the statement, subject and verb, are in the second phrase,” she’d point out. “And the other segments answer our questions—how, who, when, and why.”
God’s sunrise will break upon us.
• How will the sunrise break? Through God’s heartfelt mercies.
• Upon whom will the light shine? Us—we who sit in darkness and death’s shadow.
• Why? To enlighten our steps and bring us into peace.
A Surprising Name
Zachariah, slow to believe the angel Gabriel’s prophecy that his wife Elizabeth would bear a son in her old age, spoke these words after his first and only child entered the world. For nine long months, he had suffered the imposition of silence. Perhaps this helped his neighbors and friends to see how momentous his visitation had been, but still, it must’ve been difficult for Zachariah. Because this was the first child born to the couple, everyone expected him to be named after his father.
But Gabriel had given Zachariah different instructions: The child was to be named John (which means Jehovah has shown favor). So when Elizabeth announced the child was to be called John, the neighbors went to Zachariah, expecting him to disagree. When he confirmed the boy’s name was John, Zachariah got his turn to speak. He’d had plenty of time to ponder what he might say when his tongue was finally loosed.
Zachariah’s Prophesy
At that moment, a message inspired by the Holy Spirit poured forth (Luke 1:67-79). Zachariah’s prophesy began with the past mercies of God, looking back to David and even to Abraham. His message told of John’s role to prepare the way for the Messiah. Then it looked to the future.
Through the heartfelt mercies of our God,
God’s sunrise will break in upon us,
Shining on those in the darkness,
Those sitting in the shadow of death,
Then showing us the way, one foot at a time,
Down the path of peace.
Two thousand years later, we might well heed this tale of mercy and light, letting it draw us from our gloomy outlook and assure us of guidance and serenity.
Gail Kittleson
DARE TO BLOOM!
www.facebook.com/GailKittlesonAuthor
http://amazon.com/author/gailkittleson
A passionate reader, I began writing as a young girl. After graduating from college, I became a teacher. Over the course of my career, I taught high schoolers, college undergraduates, and public school teachers how to write personal narratives, expository and persuasive essays, as well as poetry and short fiction. I continued to write: publishing professional articles, two textbooks, short stories, and poetry. In 2013, I won first place in Romantic Suspense in the ACFW Genesis Contest.
Leave a Reply