(Zechariah 10:1-12)
1 Ask for rain from the Lord at the time of the spring rain—
The Lord who makes the storm winds;
And He will give them showers of rain, vegetation in the field to each person.
2 For the household idols speak deception,
And the diviners see an illusion
And tell deceitful dreams;
They comfort in vain.
Therefore the people wander like sheep,
They are wretched because there is no shepherd.
3 “My anger is kindled against the shepherds,
And I will punish the male goats;
For the Lord of armies has visited His flock, the house of Judah,
And will make them like His majestic horse in battle.
4 From them will come the cornerstone,
From them the tent peg,
From them the bow of battle,
From them every tyrant (ruler), all of them together.
5 And they will be like warriors,
Trampling down the enemy in the mud of the streets in battle;
And they will fight, because the Lord will be with them;
And the riders on horses will be put to shame.
6 And I will strengthen the house of Judah,
And I will save the house of Joseph,
And I will bring them back,
Because I have had compassion on them;
And they will be as though I had not rejected them,
For I am the Lord their God and I will answer them.
7 Ephraim will be like a warrior,
And their heart will be joyful as if from wine;
Indeed, their children will see it and be joyful,
Their heart will rejoice in the Lord.
8 I will whistle for them and gather them together,
For I have redeemed them;
And they will be as numerous as they were before.
9 When I scatter them among the peoples,
They will remember Me in distant countries,
And they with their children will live and come back.
10 I will bring them back from the land of Egypt
And gather them from Assyria;
And I will bring them into the land of Gilead and Lebanon
Until no room can be found for them.
11 And they will pass through the sea of distress
And He will strike the waves in the sea,
So that all the depths of the Nile will dry up;
And the pride of Assyria will be brought down,
And the scepter of Egypt will depart.
12 And I will strengthen them in the Lord,
And in His name they will walk,” declares the Lord.
TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:
The Lord who makes the storm winds;
And He will give them showers of rain, vegetation in the field to each person.
2 For the household idols speak deception,
And the diviners see an illusion
And tell deceitful dreams;
They comfort in vain.
Therefore the people wander like sheep,
They are wretched because there is no shepherd.
3 “My anger is kindled against the shepherds,
And I will punish the male goats;
For the Lord of armies has visited His flock, the house of Judah,
And will make them like His majestic horse in battle.
4 From them will come the cornerstone,
From them the tent peg,
From them the bow of battle,
From them every tyrant (ruler), all of them together.
5 And they will be like warriors,
Trampling down the enemy in the mud of the streets in battle;
And they will fight, because the Lord will be with them;
And the riders on horses will be put to shame.
6 And I will strengthen the house of Judah,
And I will save the house of Joseph,
And I will bring them back,
Because I have had compassion on them;
And they will be as though I had not rejected them,
For I am the Lord their God and I will answer them.
7 Ephraim will be like a warrior,
And their heart will be joyful as if from wine;
Indeed, their children will see it and be joyful,
Their heart will rejoice in the Lord.
8 I will whistle for them and gather them together,
For I have redeemed them;
And they will be as numerous as they were before.
9 When I scatter them among the peoples,
They will remember Me in distant countries,
And they with their children will live and come back.
10 I will bring them back from the land of Egypt
And gather them from Assyria;
And I will bring them into the land of Gilead and Lebanon
Until no room can be found for them.
11 And they will pass through the sea of distress
And He will strike the waves in the sea,
So that all the depths of the Nile will dry up;
And the pride of Assyria will be brought down,
And the scepter of Egypt will depart.
12 And I will strengthen them in the Lord,
And in His name they will walk,” declares the Lord.
TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:
Because the Lord is a God of relationships, and desires that all come to know Him, He wants to communicate with us. His word, the Bible, as well as the promptings of His Holy Spirit is how He will communicate to us and with us. And prayer is how we can communicate to Him and with Him. And this isn't just so that we can vent or "keep in touch", it is because He wants to do life with us, help us, and work with us!
Verse one says, "Ask the Lord for rain at the time of the spring rain." To ask for rain when rain would actually destroy crops would be unwise. And to ask God for rain when there isn't any need, would be like testing the Lord. We should be aware that sin impedes our prayers. Therefore, it is always beneficial to do heart-checks, and confess sins as we become aware of them. And then, in knowing God's will and praying in His will, the Lord will answer our prayers!
We should understand that God will always answer our prayers. Sometimes His answer will be "No," sometimes it will be "No, but I will do something far better," sometimes it is "Yes, but you will have to wait for the right time," and sometimes He will answer with an immediate "Yes." But when we ask for anything in His name - which is to say: in His will - He will answer and give us those requests!
Verse twelve sums it up nicely. We are to walk in His name, in the Lord's strength. Therefore, as we ask God to strengthen us so that we will walk in His will, God will answer this prayer. Another example is that we can ask God with confidence to help us love our fellow Christians, neighbors and enemies. And we can ask for opportunities to share the gospel message. Just don't forget to ask God to guide us through these opportunities. Remember, this is a relationship! God wants to work FOR us, IN us, and WITH us!!!
(James 1:5) But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.
(1 John 5:14-15) This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him.
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