Getting Ready with Praise

Reading: Luke 1:57–80

Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, 

because He has come and has redeemed His people.

Luke 1:68 

Praise is often born out of places where God has met us with mercy, and nowhere is this clearer than in Zechariah’s Benedictus. After months of divinely imposed silence, his first words overflow with blessing: “Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because He has come and has redeemed His people.” Zechariah holds in his arms not the Messiah, but the forerunner—the one who will prepare the way—and yet this small beginning fills him with joy. Advent invites us into this same posture: to praise God not only for what He has completed but for what He has begun, for the first light of redemption before the fullness of day.

Praise also reshapes our vision of time. Zechariah blesses God for redemption even before Jesus is revealed to the world. His praise rests on remembered faithfulness—God’s mercies across generations, His promises kept, His love never failing. Advent praise is the same: it draws us into holy remembrance so that we can trust God’s future. As Scripture says, “I will remember the deeds of the Lord… I will meditate on all Your works” (Psalm 77:11–12). Praise anchors us in what God has already done, giving us courage to wait for what He will surely do. It becomes a spiritual steadying—a way of seeing God’s mercy rising like dawn even when the night is not yet fully gone.

And praise prepares the heart. When we praise, we loosen our grip on worry and widen our capacity to receive grace. Praise shifts us from fear to trust, from self-reliance to expectancy, attuning us to the subtle movements of God—the quiet mercy, the whispered leading, the gentle dawn we might otherwise overlook. As the psalmist writes, “My heart is steadfast, O God; I will sing and make music with all my soul” (Psalm 108:1). Zechariah’s song ends with hope, pointing to the coming Light that will guide our feet into the path of peace. In the same way, Advent praise aligns us with God’s coming and prepares room in us for the Christ who rises like dawn.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, let Your tender mercy rise on us like the morning light. Teach us to praise You not only in fulfillment but in beginnings. Open our eyes to the dawn of Your redemption and prepare our hearts with gratitude, trust, and joy.

Come, Lord Jesus. Amen.