The Spirit of Salvation

By Gina Poirer

Bloomington, Illinois USA

Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel,
    because he has come to his people and redeemed them.
He has raised up a horn of salvation for us
    in the house of his servant David
(as he said through his holy prophets of long ago),
salvation from our enemies
    and from the hand of all who hate us—
to show mercy to our ancestors
    and to remember his holy covenant,
    the oath he swore to our father Abraham:
to rescue us from the hand of our enemies,
    and to enable us to serve him without fear
    in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.

And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High;
    for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him,
to give his people the knowledge of salvation
    through the forgiveness of their sins,
because of the tender mercy of our God,
    by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven
to shine on those living in darkness
    and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the path of peace.

Luke 1:68–79, Zechariah’s song after the birth of his son, John (the Baptist)

This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says:

“In repentance and rest is your salvation,
    in quietness and trust is your strength,
    but you would have none of it.”

Isaiah 30:15

For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.

Luke 19:10

My heartrate rises as my eyes scan the screen. I’m angry. I’m scared. I’m bewildered. I feel like I must do something.

I close out the app and open another to clear my mind. It’s no better. Someone posts an inflammatory article from a questionable source. Someone else mocks a public figure. Friends of mine are shouting at one another in all caps.

Unfollow. Tap, tap. Unfollow. 

I finally put my phone down. My eyes tear because I’m so desperate for human connection during this season of isolation. But I inevitably slip into this bad habit of doom-scrolling, and my anxiety rises. People are dying from a raging virus that just won’t go away. Parts of the planet are literally burning, and it’s supposed to get worse. Violence erupts; hatred, suffering and injustice abound. Political leaders fail us again and again.  

This world is so lost. Who will save us?

I take a deep breath and turn my mind back to truth. We already have a Savior. He came to seek and save the lost. And He is with us always.

Zechariah the priest and his wife, Elizabeth, were faithful people, but I wonder how much their hearts ached for most of their years. Their story before they appear in Luke’s Gospel is one of disappointment, including barrenness and the unfulfilled longing for the messiah. God’s people were violently oppressed and fractured, and their leaders were hopelessly corrupt.

When the angel Gabriel announced Elizabeth’s miraculous pregnancy, it wasn’t all that surprising when Zechariah raised his eyebrows a little bit. 

But that’s where God loves often shows up: among the brokenness and hopelessness, in unexpected ways. And He usually doesn’t do it with trumpets and over-the-top theatrics or through the famous and powerful. He does it through barren women like Elizabeth and her predecessors Sarah, Rebekah and Rachel. He does it through the marginalized, the disgraced, the outsiders.

Our temptation is to say “But…” But that’s impossible. But we can’t wait that long. But there must be another way. But that person can’t be the one. But I want it to be my way. 

The prophet Isaiah warns us to repent of our striving to do it our way. Salvation comes through rest. Quietness. Trust. 

Zechariah and Elizabeth’s story ends with a song of praise for God’s long-promised salvation and His tender mercy. He has not forgotten His people and His promises. He makes the impossible possible. He guides us all into the path of peace. 

As I reflect on God’s Spirit of salvation during this Advent season, I am reminded how He shows up and does His most powerful work quietly, in unexpected places. I was first introduced to the love of Jesus through laughter and donuts shared with a friend. Our God has brought comfort over cups of coffee and tears. And He continues to be there…Immanuel, God with us.

While it seems like the world is burning around us, may we look for salvation in the right places. God’s got this. I can’t wait to see how He’ll continue to surprise us.

Questions for journaling/reflection:

1.     Think about what worries you or gives you anxiety. Where are you tempted to look for hope instead of the salvation that comes through Christ?

2.     Where are some surprising places you’ve seen God show up in your life?

3.     Say a prayer of praise for God’s Spirit of salvation or meditate on Zechariah’s song.