Zechariah’s first words, after his speech was restored, were not, strictly, greetings. But they are most revealing. “Praise be to the Lord,” he said. He has “redeemed His people.” He’s brought His people “salvation.” By His “mercy” He has “rescued” “us” enabling us to serve Him “without fear.” By the “tender mercy of our God … the rising sun will come from heaven to shine on those living in darkness … to guide our feet into the path of peace.”
Did you notice his reference to the absence of fear? The terror that gripped him, when he saw Gabriel, has been displaced with “peace.”
We’ve been “redeemed.” Bought out of destitution by a Creator who, seeing our value, salvaged and restored us. Like a discriminating classic automobile collector He sees, buried in a metallic jungle of wreckage and rust, a barely perceptible treasure. He knows the price will be far greater than its appearance could ever justify. But He believes in its worth and pays the price. Years later, the restored Classic, unveiled, inspires breathless wonder in those who see in it the work of the finest of craftsmen.
By the “tender mercies of our God,” we are being restored. Peace is a distinguishing mark in us.
Maybe the old Hippies have it right.
“PEACE!” Bro. …
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