What does the Bible say about solving personal problems? We all have problems such as debts, woes, worries, and fears. We try different things like education, money, bigger guns, or a louder voice, but nothing works.
"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. (Link to See other Translations).
The quote above is from the vision of the Prophet Zechariah where he is given a message for the governor of Jerusalem to not lose heart in rebuilding the temple which was destroyed. It was an awesome and overwhelming project; it was opposed by the enemies of Israel, and discouraging since it had been languishing for forty years.
THE WORD OF THE LORD
The word may not seem to be much to go on. We would rather trust in might and power, but the word of God is trustworthy. God always keeps his word and never breaks a promise. The statement of the prophet implies the Word of the Lord is not only instruction but the promise of God. It is an echo of the Genesis account where God performed acts of creation by speaking the universe into existence.
MIGHT AND POWER
As Governor Zerubbabel would have understood might and power, they were essential to ruling a city or nation. We seek our own might and power; we look for the strongest smartest, most advanced thing to solve our problems. God has a different way he wants us to allow his Spirit.
MY SPIRIT
God's Spirit is not something we cannot see or feel. We turn from what we can do to fix our problem to faith in God. His Spirit is not a force or positive influence, but God speaks here of his personal divine self. "My Spirit," is God saying he is the one, not us, so we need to do away with our own efforts and allow God to build.
SAYS THE LORD ALMIGHTY
We need to remember the source- this is the word that is spoken by the Lord Almighty; the all-powerful, all-controlling, all-loving, all-knowing, creator, and sustainer of the universe who holds every molecule together. He is not random but deliberate in his actions and has a loving plan.
That the building would be accomplished was a guarantee. Zerubbabel needed to believe God and trust in his word, for God said it would happen. For our problems, we need to remember God gives us many promises in His Word the Bible. We need to trust God, believe his Word to us, and allow his Spirit to work.
"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. (Link to See other Translations).
The quote above is from the vision of the Prophet Zechariah where he is given a message for the governor of Jerusalem to not lose heart in rebuilding the temple which was destroyed. It was an awesome and overwhelming project; it was opposed by the enemies of Israel, and discouraging since it had been languishing for forty years.
THE WORD OF THE LORD
The word may not seem to be much to go on. We would rather trust in might and power, but the word of God is trustworthy. God always keeps his word and never breaks a promise. The statement of the prophet implies the Word of the Lord is not only instruction but the promise of God. It is an echo of the Genesis account where God performed acts of creation by speaking the universe into existence.
MIGHT AND POWER
As Governor Zerubbabel would have understood might and power, they were essential to ruling a city or nation. We seek our own might and power; we look for the strongest smartest, most advanced thing to solve our problems. God has a different way he wants us to allow his Spirit.
MY SPIRIT
God's Spirit is not something we cannot see or feel. We turn from what we can do to fix our problem to faith in God. His Spirit is not a force or positive influence, but God speaks here of his personal divine self. "My Spirit," is God saying he is the one, not us, so we need to do away with our own efforts and allow God to build.
SAYS THE LORD ALMIGHTY
We need to remember the source- this is the word that is spoken by the Lord Almighty; the all-powerful, all-controlling, all-loving, all-knowing, creator, and sustainer of the universe who holds every molecule together. He is not random but deliberate in his actions and has a loving plan.
That the building would be accomplished was a guarantee. Zerubbabel needed to believe God and trust in his word, for God said it would happen. For our problems, we need to remember God gives us many promises in His Word the Bible. We need to trust God, believe his Word to us, and allow his Spirit to work.
© Adron 11/20/12
