Thought for day - Wednesday 30 June

Zechariah 14:9 (New Living Translation) And the Lord will be king over all the earth. On that day there will be one Lord—his name alone will be worshiped. Today’s reading comes from the prophetic book of Zechariah.  Zechariah prophesied to the people of Judah after they returned from their seventy years of exile in Babylon.  Zechariah’s grandfather returned from Babylon, his young grandson in tow, with the first group of Israelites allowed back, in 538 BC under the decree of Cyrus, king of Persia. Because of his family lineage, Zechariah was a priest in addition to a prophet. Zechariah, a young man, especially when compared to his contemporary Haggai, came alongside the older prophet to deliver messages from the Lord to the Jewish remnant recently returned from Babylon.  While Haggai’s overall message had more of a cautionary tone to it (pointing out the Jews’ sin and self-focus), Zechariah emphasized a tone of encouragement to the struggling Israelites trying to rebuild their temple. The book of Zechariah contains the clearest and the largest number of passages predicting the first and second comings of the messiah among the Minor Prophets. In that respect, it’s possible to think of the book of Zechariah as a kind of miniature book of Isaiah.  Jesus will come, according to Zechariah, as Saviour, Judge, and ultimately, as the righteous King ruling his people from Jerusalem. Have you struggled with discouragement? Read Zechariah. While the book contains its share of judgments on the people of Judah and beyond, it overflows with hope in the future reign of the Lord over His people. It’s easy to get caught up in the sometimes, depressing events of day-to-day life, to lose our perspective and live as people without hope. The book of Zechariah serves as a correction for that tendency in our lives. We have a hope that is sure in Jesus Christ in that the day will come when every knee will bow and confess that he is indeed Lord of all. Prayer Heavenly Father, we thank you for all your promises because we know that these promises will be fulfilled at a time of your choosing.  We pray for the day when you will return to this world as you promised.  Help us to be prepared for your return and to live our lives accordingly in everything we think, say and do.    Amen