I will sing of the LORD’s unfailing love forever!
Young and old will hear of your faithfulness.
Your unfailing love will last forever.
Your faithfulness is as enduring as the heavens.The Lord said, “I have made a covenant with David, my chosen servant.
[. . .]
I have sworn this oath to him:
‘I will establish your descendants as kings forever;
they will sit on your throne from now until eternity.’” Interlude
Long ago you spoke in a vision to your faithful people.
You said, “I have raised up a warrior.
I have selected him from the common people to be king.
I have found my servant David.
I have anointed him with my holy oil.
I will steady him with my hand;
with my powerful arm I will make him strong.
His enemies will not defeat him,
nor will the wicked overpower him.
I will beat down his adversaries before him
and destroy those who hate him.
My faithfulness and unfailing love will be with him,
and by my authority he will grow in power.
I will extend his rule over the sea,
his dominion over the rivers.
And he will call out to me, ‘You are my Father,
my God, and the Rock of my salvation.’ (Psalm 89:1–4, 19–26 NLT)
It’s here. The long-awaited celebration of the birth of our baby Savior, sent to the earth to live as an embodied example of how to live faithfully and love others wholly, who ultimately died sinless so we may have an opportunity to secure eternal life with him.
As we reflect on this season of anticipation, I’m reminded of the enduring silence that stretched across 400 years between the book of Malachi in the Old Testament and Matthew in the New Testament. The Old Testament echoes the resounding voice of God, speaking to his people through prophets, signs, and wonders. Burning bushes and talking donkeys bore witness to the presence of God actively engaged with humanity. Then, a sudden hush settled over the pages of Scripture—a quiet that lingered for four centuries.
This intertestamental period, often called the “silent years,” calls the very nature of God’s faithfulness into question. Yet, verses of Psalm 89 are a reminder of the covenant made with David, a promise of an everlasting lineage. The psalmist begins with a resounding proclamation of God’s steadfast love and faithfulness—a truth that seems unshakable.
Yet, when the echoes of God’s prominence faded, it left a void filled only by remembrance of promises made. While the silence did not indicate God’s absence or abandonment, it’s understandable that the haste in which Gods voice decrescendoed from loud to quiet would serve as evidence that his activity had ceased. Instead, it was a holy hush as God silently orchestrated the birth of his Son, Jesus, sent to save the world from itself. He never stopped being God. His presence persisted throughout the quiet.
The birth of Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew shatters the silence of the long, dark night. The promise made to David finds its fulfillment in the birth of the Messiah. God, in his perfect timing, breaks through the quietude of the centuries, declaring that his faithfulness endures beyond the constraints of time.
In the same way, it’s been 2,000 years since Christ walked the earth, but we’re still waiting for the full redemption of this broken world. We wait by loving others, leaning into kindness, doing good and right by our values, and leaning into expected hope for Christ’s return—when all things will be made right. God is both doing and going to do, both here and yet to come.
May our reciprocity to God’s faithfulness be a faithfulness that reflects the heart of God, that we’d see the imago Dei in all people. That in the day’s haste, hurry, and hustle we’d allow the power of the incarnation not just to do something for us but to transform our hearts.
His hands. His feet. His heart forever.
May the hope of Christmas, the story of God’s faithful, firm-standing love for us through Christ, be yours today.
Sarah Sciarini is the director of communications for First Baptist Church in Lodi, California, and NorCal NAB. She is also a part of EYELET working to elevate the voices of younger leaders in the NAB.