Promised Blessing

Zechariah 8:1-9 (NLT)

8 Then another message came to me from the Lord of Heaven’s Armies:² “This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: My love for Mount Zion is passionate and strong; I am consumed with passion for Jerusalem!³ “And now the Lord says: I am returning to Mount Zion, and I will live in Jerusalem. Then Jerusalem will be called the Faithful City; the mountain of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies will be called the Holy Mountain.⁴ “This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: Once again old men and women will walk Jerusalem’s streets with their canes and will sit together in the city squares. ⁵ And the streets of the city will be filled with boys and girls at play.⁶ “This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: All this may seem impossible to you now, a small remnant of God’s people. But is it impossible for me? says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.⁷ “This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: You can be sure that I will rescue my people from the east and from the west. ⁸ I will bring them home again to live safely in Jerusalem. They will be my people, and I will be faithful and just toward them as their God.⁹ “This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: Be strong and finish the task! Ever since the laying of the foundation of the Temple of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, you have heard what the prophets have been saying about completing the building.

In chapter 8 of Zechariah, the prophet relayed God's message of promised restoration to the people of Israel. Zechariah encouraged the remnant of God's chosen people to "be strong and finish the task" of building the temple. Once again, they would experience vibrancy of life in the streets of Jerusalem. What seemed impossible to the people was 100% possible for their God. I encourage you to read all of this precious chapter in which God communicates His plans for His people. I know many of us woke up this morning facing situations that seem much bigger than we are, but friend, our situations are not bigger than our God. He has a heart of restoration toward us and He is at work in our lives building a testimony for His glory.