When Personal Power is not Enough
Zechariah 4:6 So he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty.”
Zechariah 4:6 NIV
Then he said to me, “This is what the Lord says to Zerubbabel: It is not by force nor by strength, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.”
Zechariah 4:6 NLT
We overestimate what we can accomplish through force of personality. We underestimate what we can accomplish when we do God’s will God’s way in God’s timing with God’s strength.
There are some things only God can do through his Spirit. No matter how intensely we pray, no matter how sincerely we sing, no matter how many Bible verses we quote, God’s sovereign timing and God’s strong hand alone will accomplish his ultimate purpose.
God’s Purpose Prevails
Viewed from a different perspective, nothing can stop God’s purpose, God’s plans, and God’s timing.
We pray, “your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven,” (Matthew 6:10). This is a prayer of alignment for us. We choose to live in harmony with the beautiful work God is accomplishing. This is a prayer of attunement for us. We choose to sing his song instead of our own, to dance to the sound of the most beautiful music ever written awaiting this moment for its singular performance, leading to the crescendo of all crescendos as time melts away into the boundless beauty of eternity.
Enough Little Pieces Falling into Place Reveal Beauty
It may well appear to us only incremental progress is taking place. It may well seem like nothing is going God’s way. In those moments when you are inclined to give up hope, remember small things are evidence of God’s work like puzzle pieces thoroughly mixed in a box slowly finding their positions revealing their beauty.
Do not “despise the day of small things,” (verse 10). Billions of believers taking single steps of faith day by day turn a swiftly turning planet toward hope, home, and him.
Application
I will take my best next step of faith today as God moves forward his plan in his way in his timing for his glory and our gain.
Prayer
Our Father, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Amen.
