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)
An amazing message was given to this prince, Zerubbabel, who was in a trying situation – a descendent of king David, who having returned from the Babylonian captivity to govern Jerusalem, was the one chosen of God to start rebuilding the Jewish Temple. He was told by Zechariah the prophet that God would carry out the work – ‘not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the LORD Almighty.
This divine revelation is as relevant today as it was centuries ago for we must all come to an understanding that the Lord Himself will carry out His plans, which He alone has purposed – ‘not by might nor by power, but by the grace of God’s Spirit alone. Zerubbabel was not told HOW God was to carry out His plans and purposes… for like us, he only saw through a glass darkly – nevertheless his responsibility, like ours, is to live by faith in God – to trust the Word of the Lord – to believe God’s purpose for our lives and Church.
God is working His purpose through us year after year, but we are not always party to the plans that God has purposed in our lives and Church. However, we are His workmanship… we are the spiritual Temple of God, that is being pulled together by His Holy Spirit. God’s work is not carried out by the cleverness of men or the influence of their mighty ministries– we are being pulled together by the work of the indwelling Spirit of God. It is time for us to stand up and build the Temple of God, His eternal dwelling place, precious stone by precious stone.
Zerubbabel faced tremendous difficulties as he sought to carry out the work that God had prepared beforehand, for him to do – but he was given an assurance that he would complete the task that God had set before him… not by might nor by power, but by the Spirit of God.
We too face increasing pressures this days, and may even be tempted to consider that the task of living by faith and trusting the Lord is overwhelming in the midst of this “busy” with your own thing generation… nevertheless this Word from the Lord is as true for us today as it was so many centuries ago – that God Who started a good work in us will complete it in the day of Christ Jesus… ‘not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,‘ says the LORD.
We will fail if we try to use our might and power in any situation. That is Why we need to let go and let God take over with the help of the Holy Spirit as the source of that power. It is then that God’s promises will be fulfilled.
