My friend Katie Small is a prophetic artist who delivers oracles with acrylic, oil and other fancy stuff. On my bedside table is her painting of a blue water kettle heating over red, yellow and orange flames. Next to the pot and extending as far as you can see, stands an army of endless tea cups, lined up and waiting for the precise boiling moment.

I was puzzling about the term “prisoners of hope” in the writings of Zechariah and Katie’s image unlocked it. You’re waiting for a promise, for a dream, a judgment, a love, a land of your own. So many things. You have been waiting such a long time for that water to boil, to drink that tea. Don’t I know it? The outcome is inevitable, but the process is dubious. We can’t tell a damn thing happening inside the pot, but only know we’re so thirsty and bored in this holding cell, even to the point of numbness or despair.

What are you waiting for? I hear the whistle. Time is giving way. Time to move from captivity to family. From silence to songs. From dreaming to life. But we have to get back into position.

Zech. 9: As for you, because of the blood of my covenant with you, I will free your prisoners from the waterless pit. Return to your fortress, you prisoners of hope; even now I announce that I will restore twice as much to you.

Lyrics

my prisoner of hope the day you heard about, you heard about is here / gone the dark, gone the thirst and gone the fear / so get back to your stronghold, back where hope was found / get back to your stronghold, follow the sound

my prisoner of hope the one who saves you, oh he’s humble too / with peace he breaks the boast of war that frightened you / so get back to your stronghold, back where faith was sight / get back to your stronghold, feel for the light

on this day we take up, we take up our salvation / like dreams that died, we live again / blood he paid kept the faith, he kept the faith between us / great is your goodness, great is your beauty, lord / great is your goodness / living hope, we’re prisoners no more

my daughter and son, you’re shining like jewels in my hand / drink deep the wine, eat your fill and renew the land / come back to your stronghold, back where hope was found / come back to your stronghold

there’s no more fear, no more dark / songs from silence and fire from spark / no more fear, no more dark / songs from silence / fire, fire from spark

on this day we take up, we take up salvation / time gives way to the freedom song / blood he paid kept the faith, he kept faith between us / great is your goodness, great is your beauty / great is your goodness / living hope, we’re prisoners no more