“To perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant.” – Luke 1:72

At the heart of Zechariah’s ‘Christmas’ prophecy is a truth we desperately need to hear today: God keeps His promises!

When Zechariah speaks of “the mercy promised to our fathers,” he’s pointing backward through generations—to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and David.

For hundreds of years, God’s people had waited.

They’d endured exile, persecution, and four centuries of prophetic silence.

Yet, through it all, God’s covenant stood firm, unshaken by human failure or historical circumstance.

The Greek word translated ‘perform’ in this verse is powerful.

It means to accomplish, to carry out, to bring to completion.

God doesn’t just recall His promises like distant memories; He fulfills them in real time, in flesh and blood.

The birth of John the Baptist, followed soon by Jesus, was God acting on every covenant He had ever made.

Notice how Zechariah links God’s covenant with mercy.

This is crucial. God’s promises aren’t cold legal contracts; they’re expressions of ‘hesed’ – steadfast, covenantal love.

Even when Israel stumbled and fell, God remained faithful. Even when humanity turned its back, God drew near.

The birth of Christ became the ultimate demonstration and performance of that mercy, proving once and for all that God can indeed be trusted.

Through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Zechariah prophesied that the eventual coming of the Messiah was not just good news for his time; it was the climax of a story God had been writing since Eden.

Every promise, every prophecy, every act of deliverance in Israel’s history pointed to this divinely appointed moment.

Perhaps you’re holding onto a promise God gave you years or decades ago.

Like Abraham, our challenge is to “be fully convinced that what He has promised He is also able to perform” (Romans 4:21).

Maybe it came through Scripture, through personal prayer, or through a quiet prophecy from a visiting preacher.

Like Zechariah, you might have even doubted it along the way. But friend, here’s the encouragement: God’s delays are not denials.

His silence is not absence.

The same God who kept His covenant with Abraham and David is the One who holds your future in His faithful hands.

If He orchestrated centuries of history to bring forth His Son at just the right moment, He can certainly fulfill the promises in your life.

Your waiting isn’t evidence of His neglect; it’s often the very canvas upon which He paints His most profound faithfulness.

As Paul reminds us in 2 Corinthians 1:20, “For all the promises of God find their Yes in Christ.”

The manger in Bethlehem is eternal proof that God’s covenant loyalty is stronger than time, obstacles, or human failure.

So, lift your head this Christmas. Maybe you’re in a season of waiting – for healing, for provision, promotion or for direction.

Whatever promise you’re clinging onto, remember that the God who performed His ultimate promise in Christ walks with you right now.

His covenant is still holy. His mercy is still active. His faithfulness remains the most reliable reality in the universe.

Like Abraham, our challenge is to “be fully convinced that what He has promised He is also able to perform” (Romans 4:21).

Certainly, the promised mercy and covenant stand.

The promise is sure as the sunrise.

And like Zechariah, may we respond, not with fear or doubt, but with praise and lives that proclaim the faithfulness of our Promise-Keeper, the Performer, the ‘Accompolisher.’