Zechariah 10:1-2 ESV
“Ask rain from the
Lord
in the season of the spring rain,
from the Lord who
makes the storm clouds,
and he will give them showers of rain,
to everyone the vegetation in the field.
For the household gods
utter nonsense,
and the diviners see lies;
they tell false dreams
and give empty consolation.
Therefore the people
wander like sheep;
they are afflicted for lack of a shepherd.”
On a spiritual level, this request for rain would be like
asking God for his mercy and grace, for an outpouring of his Holy Spirit, for
wisdom and discernment, for guidance and direction, and for courage and
strength, especially during the storms of life. And, it would be like asking
him for a time of spiritual refreshing and renewal, too, like the spring rains.
Right now, in the world, including in my nation of the USA,
we are going through a difficult time. Our lives have literally been turned
upside down. Most of us are under house arrest, basically, with few freedoms.
We are permitted to leave our homes for exercise, to purchase essentials, and
to visit with family (though that one is not real clear).
Yet, for right now, until that changes, too, we still have
freedom of speech to share the gospel on the internet, so I am definitely
thankful for that, and we can visit with people virtually, so we are not
completely cut off from others.
But, these are trying times, and many people, including
Christians, are looking to various resources to help them during this time of
crisis, or to give them some level of comfort and peace. And, the counsel out
there in the world abounds on how we are to think, to act, and to react to our
present-day circumstances.
So, the Lord is saying to us today, I believe, to seek his
counsel, not the counsel the world is offering to us. To ask him what is truly
going on, and to not trust those who are speaking nonsense. And, let me tell
you that “nonsense” is being spoken from those in positions of authority, which
include our political leaders and the mainstream news media, too.
And, this is not to say that no one is speaking the truth,
but that we have people in positions of power and rule within our nations, on a
global level, who are daily feeding us lies, and who are trying to instill fear
within us, and who are trying to turn us one against the other, and who are
working to separate us, to control us, to manipulate us, and to get us to
ultimately bow to the beast in submission to a new world order, not of God.
And, they are abusing their positions of authority, they are
expanding their rule beyond what is normal, and they are extending their
totalitarian rule over the people in a global effort to bring us all under the
rule of the beast. For, if you read what they have planned, it sounds a whole
lot like Hitler’s regime during WWII. For, they have abandoned the people to
accomplish their hidden agenda, which is now beginning to surface in real time.
And, we are definitely lacking a shepherd over the people
who is truly for the people and who is telling us the truth. And, what our
politicians and our news media are feeding us daily is all over the map. And, so
it is very confusing even as to who is clearly in charge and what direction
they intend to go, so people are being afflicted for lack of a human shepherd.
But, the Lord doesn’t want us looking to human shepherds to
lead us. He wants us to call on him. He wants us to pray to him to send the
rain, i.e. the times of refreshing and renewal that we so desperately need. So,
he is definitely saying that during this time we are to seek his face, and that
we are to know that there are many liars and deceivers out their trying to lead
us astray. So, we need God’s counsel in this to know truth from lies.
Zechariah 10:3-5 ESV
“My anger is hot
against the shepherds,
and I will punish the leaders;
for the Lord of hosts
cares for his flock, the house of Judah,
and will make them like his majestic steed
in battle.
From him shall come
the cornerstone,
from him the tent peg,
from him the battle
bow,
from him every ruler—all of them together.
They shall be like
mighty men in battle,
trampling the foe in the mud of the
streets;
they shall fight
because the Lord is with them,
and they shall put to shame the riders on
horses.”
These false shepherds of the people, though, are not just
within our governments, or just within the mainstream media, but they are
within the churches, too, and they are in our households, and in our families,
as well. And, many of them profess to be followers of Jesus Christ, too.
Within the churches these false shepherds are lying to the
people about salvation of sin and about God’s grace. For, they have diluted the
gospel message to make it more palatable to the people of the world, and to be
more acceptable to human flesh. And, thus they are not teaching that faith in
Jesus Christ means death to sin and living to righteousness (1 Pet. 2:24).
For, many of them are trapped in sin themselves. Many of
them are addicted to porn, or to all types of sensuality and even sexual
perversion. Even though they claim to be followers of Jesus, they are really
followers of their own flesh. So, they have broken their bonds with their
spouses and with God in order to go after what should not be a part of the life
of a saint of God.
And, the news media is just helping to promote this. For, if
you read your news on the internet, like I do, you will notice all the ads and
all the articles centered around sex, sensuality, self-gratification and self-satisfaction.
The messages are strong and clear that we should be spending this time
drinking, playing games, watching movies, entertaining ourselves incessantly and
socializing virtually while we are under house arrest.
So, God is judging his rebellious, adulterous and idolatrous
people right now in order to bring them back to him in repentance and obedience,
and in renewed faith.
And, he is using this global governance as his instruments of
divine judgment against his unfaithful ones, and thus, in a sense, our leaders
who are part of this global order are being used of God to judge themselves,
i.e. their positions of rule nationally, and in order to bring all nations
under one totalitarian rule of order.
But, we don’t have to be afraid, just because they want us
to be afraid. We don’t have to fear what they fear. We can be at peace with God
even in the direst of circumstances for our God is with us. So, we can put on
the armor of God to fight off Satan and his hordes, and we can follow our Lord
in obedience despite what all is happening all around us.
And, one day God will judge those he used as divine
instruments of judgment, too. One day they will be no more and Jesus will
return for his people, and we shall forever be with our Lord. Amen!
Zechariah 10:6-7 ESV
“I will strengthen the
house of Judah,
and I will save the house of Joseph.
I will bring them back
because I have compassion on them,
and they shall be as though I had not
rejected them,
for I am the Lord their God and I will
answer them.
Then Ephraim shall
become like a mighty warrior,
and their hearts shall be glad as with
wine.
Their children shall
see it and be glad;
their hearts shall rejoice in the Lord.”
You know, this theme follows all throughout the books of the
prophets, in particular, but not just there. It is in the New Testament, too.
God’s people rebel against him, they go astray, they become idolaters, they get
involved in sexual immorality, and they forsake their first love. They forsake
their bond with God and their marriage vows with their spouses, too, and they
abandon their families to follow after the lusts of their flesh.
So, God warns them of divine judgment, he calls them to
repentance and to obedience and to renewed faith, and he promises restoration
and renewal for the penitent and the contrite. But, they don’t listen. They don’t
heed his counsel and his warnings and his calls. And, so he sends the judgment,
as promised, but in order to bring his people to repentance and obedience.
So, the judgment is for our good, in reality. It is painful
as we go through it, but it is intended for our good, to bring the wandering
sheep back to the Lord, and to prune and to purify the rest of us, and to help
us to grow stronger in our faith and in our walks with the Lord. So, this is
the Lord’s compassion on us. This is his mercy that is coming running to us.
And, the result is that many will turn their hearts back to
the Lord (or to the Lord) before the day our Lord returns and he judges the
people of the world. And, that is encouraging news! This all has a purpose!
So, the main thing here is that we need to be listening to
the Lord, and we need to let go of everything in our lives which is hindering
our walks of faith or our ability to hear the Lord clearly. Then, we need to be
praying for discernment to separate truth from lies so that we don’t end up following
the lies and rejecting the truth.
Then, we need to pray for wisdom to know how we are to
respond to this trial we are going through, and then we need to follow our Lord
in obedience to what he shows us.
Jesus Draw Me Ever
Nearer
Lyrics by Margaret
Becker
Music by Keith Getty
“Jesus draw me ever nearer
As I labour through the storm.
You have called me to this passage,
and I’ll follow, though I’m worn.”
May this journey bring a blessing,
May I rise on wings of faith;
And at the end of my heart’s testing,
With Your likeness let me wake…
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