Devotional meditation

Zechariah’s visual experience involved angels and verbal conversation with them, they are the servants of God and minister according to God’s will. As the time now transition towards the restoration of Israel, now the Israelite remnants of the exile were encouraged to go back to Jerusalem and leave the land of Babylon. For the same plunder that they have done to Jerusalem will be upon them.

The remnants & Zechariah may have experienced hardship due to the exile and migration living like a nomad without stability. It may seems like now after all these years in Babylon, they might just have to take root there but God had a plan to restore them to their own land, Jerusalem. The remnants include those who listened or follow the prophecy of Jeremiah as they understood it’s God’s will and they follow as God’s will to exile in order that there’s hope in the future. However there were some who fought against it and there were some who did not truly understand but they follow in order that they may survive. The point is to understand exactly what is God’s will and mostly God will announce it publicly thru His servants and prophets like a trumpet that none should miss it. This time it is clear thru Haggai and Zechariah that they, the remnants of exile should go back to Jerusalem and rebuild their home there. They may be going back to a pile of rubbles and nothing they recognize in the past will be there but it’s a new hope and future for them and their next generation so that they can glorify the Father in Heaven.

There are times in our lives that we cannot let go because of the investments of time, energy, emotion, blood and tears that we’ve poured in just like the remnants who made a life of survival in the land of Babylon but when God said it’s time to let go, we should listen to Him and move forward. It’s never easy to let go else God would not have sent multiple prophets and angels to convey the message. God empathized with the people’s hearts and hardship, He understand how we felt and so He is also patient to wait for us to let go and move forward. It is a process, some may be short, some may be long but in the end when we do the will of God, He will be glorify because we get the best from Him. Getting the best from a circumstances does not mean without hardship or difficulties as it may seem that the best now may be the worst in other situations or timeline, but God always give the best He could for His children. He is not a cruel God or a dictator just wanting to play with our lives, no, He value lives more than anyone in this earth for He is the Creator and the Protector. He is the Great Shepherd.

So when it’s time to let go or time to wait, always follow the Good Great Shepherd for His plan is the best for our needs even when it’s not what we want.

I want a job that can serve the Lord in the church so that I can glorify Him but do I really ? I want a job that can earn a lot of money so that I can glorify Him and donate a lot of money to the church or to His ministry, but do I really? I want to be able to provide for my family so that I can glorify Him but do I really? I want to proclaim His gospel to the whole community around me so that He can be glorified, do i really? In the end I don’t even know what I really want anymore. The point is we never do really know what’s best for us, we can plan, we can analyze and calculate the risk based on the limited information, sometimes we miss a point but that point may be the biggest flaw, then we made a decision and we found out it’s the wrong choice. Then we blame God for letting us have the freedom to choose. It’s not easy for God to be God at all. After all the toiling and inner arguments living a lie when one does not truly know nor understand the fullness of God’s plan, it will come to a time where humility is needed that one admits and confess that they truly did not know, “please God, lead me, guide me, help me, without You, I am nothing”

All these visions and encounters that comes to Zechariah is a way of God’s trying to reach his heart and His people in order to guide them and lead them. That’s the whole point of prophecy and even when the people did not want to be led by God, He still find a way to do it because He cares. He never stop caring about His people, He never stop caring about us.