Adventਨਮੂਨਾ

A song in the waiting

There’s something powerful about a song sung in the dark. It doesn’t deny the shadows; it simply insists they won’t last forever. The words of Zephaniah were spoken to people who had seen ruin, yet carried this defiant hope: 'Do not fear… The Lord your God is with you… [He] will rejoice over you with singing' (NIV). This message came long before peace was visible. The people were still surrounded by fear, injustice and uncertainty. And yet they were told to sing out loud, to be glad – not because everything had been fixed, but because something was on the way. That’s the kind of hope this season is about. Not blind optimism but a deep-rooted assurance that love is moving toward us. That the God who doesn’t stand far off has chosen to come close. Not in grand displays, but in quiet places: in a manger, a whisper, a steady presence.

Joy, then, isn’t a reward for having it all together. It’s a gift given in the middle of the waiting. It’s found in remembering that we are not abandoned, even when it feels like we are. That we are seen and sung over, even when the world feels silent. So today, if you’re tired, unsure, or just going through the motions, then pause. Let Zephaniah’s words meet you where you are. Not with pressure to feel cheerful, but with an invitation to breathe, to hope, and maybe to hum a quiet tune of expectation of your own.

Written by LAURA BENNETT