I just absolutely love how the Lord shows up in my quiet time in the morning and speaks to my rather practical heart.
My reading this morning was in Zechariah 2:13. I love the Old Testament!
The verse says this, "Be silent before the Lord, all humanity, for He is springing into action from His holy dwelling." (NLT)
Don't you, first off, love this? The verbiage is phenomenal to me! He is, "springing into action".
The Message says it this way, "Quiet everyone! Shhh! Silence before the Lord. Somethings afoot in His holy house. He's on the move."
I can't help but begin to sing the line of that song so many of us sing along in our cars, "God is on the move, on the move, hallelujah!"
Here, in scripture, was a time when God seemed long silent. A time when His absence was genuinely felt by His people. The Jews had been believing that they must live without "the Face" (Hebrew word for before) as their permanent reality.
And how many of us feel this same way sometimes?
Like God has left.
Like the Presence has been removed.
Times when we can no longer feel the overwhelming sense of His Spirit?
I know, for a fact, that I have gone through those seasons where God seemed silent.
And yet I wonder if this, too, is part of His Divine plan?
Because from my own personal experience I believe God is silent for a couple different reasons:
1.) He's developing new levels of trust and faith in us.
2.) He's already spoken and currently awaiting our obedience to what He's already said.
The address here is for 2 classifications of people.
Gentiles - who prided themselves on their own power.
(ahh - new levels of trust and faith?)
Unbelieving Jews - who distrusted God's promises as incredible.
(yes - He had already spoken and was waiting on the fresh obedience to that which He had already spoken?)
God is said to be raised up among those who get up, stand eager and ready to receive, and set out for that which they CAN do. And here we find Him already working. So readiness of willing hearers is evident here. At least that seems to be the implication.
The question becomes... are we ready to receive? Are we prepared for the answer He brings? Do we stand able to bear up under the blessing He wants to pour out?
My word for the year is WATCH. I chose it for many reasons (no... God chose it for me, rather), but specifically I believe this is my word following a tough season of waiting. I am believing this, now, is a time when I am to stand and WATCH the Lord work.
But that doesn't mean there's still not waiting yet to do.
My commentary says, "God is about to do something unexpected, and very surprising, and to plead His people's cause, which had long seemed neglected. Silently submit to His holy will, and patiently wait the event; assured that God will complete all His work."
And so I wrote it down this morning in my journal:
Wait. Trust. Submit.
All three are equally important.
Such great news, friends! He is about to do something surprising and unexpected. If He seems silent, be encouraged today that when we wait, while trusting and submitting, He will do the work He has promised.
He is so so so good!
My reading this morning was in Zechariah 2:13. I love the Old Testament!
The verse says this, "Be silent before the Lord, all humanity, for He is springing into action from His holy dwelling." (NLT)
Don't you, first off, love this? The verbiage is phenomenal to me! He is, "springing into action".
The Message says it this way, "Quiet everyone! Shhh! Silence before the Lord. Somethings afoot in His holy house. He's on the move."
I can't help but begin to sing the line of that song so many of us sing along in our cars, "God is on the move, on the move, hallelujah!"
Here, in scripture, was a time when God seemed long silent. A time when His absence was genuinely felt by His people. The Jews had been believing that they must live without "the Face" (Hebrew word for before) as their permanent reality.
And how many of us feel this same way sometimes?
Like God has left.
Like the Presence has been removed.
Times when we can no longer feel the overwhelming sense of His Spirit?
I know, for a fact, that I have gone through those seasons where God seemed silent.
And yet I wonder if this, too, is part of His Divine plan?
Because from my own personal experience I believe God is silent for a couple different reasons:
1.) He's developing new levels of trust and faith in us.
2.) He's already spoken and currently awaiting our obedience to what He's already said.
The address here is for 2 classifications of people.
Gentiles - who prided themselves on their own power.
(ahh - new levels of trust and faith?)
Unbelieving Jews - who distrusted God's promises as incredible.
(yes - He had already spoken and was waiting on the fresh obedience to that which He had already spoken?)
God is said to be raised up among those who get up, stand eager and ready to receive, and set out for that which they CAN do. And here we find Him already working. So readiness of willing hearers is evident here. At least that seems to be the implication.
The question becomes... are we ready to receive? Are we prepared for the answer He brings? Do we stand able to bear up under the blessing He wants to pour out?
My word for the year is WATCH. I chose it for many reasons (no... God chose it for me, rather), but specifically I believe this is my word following a tough season of waiting. I am believing this, now, is a time when I am to stand and WATCH the Lord work.
But that doesn't mean there's still not waiting yet to do.
My commentary says, "God is about to do something unexpected, and very surprising, and to plead His people's cause, which had long seemed neglected. Silently submit to His holy will, and patiently wait the event; assured that God will complete all His work."
And so I wrote it down this morning in my journal:
Wait. Trust. Submit.
All three are equally important.
Such great news, friends! He is about to do something surprising and unexpected. If He seems silent, be encouraged today that when we wait, while trusting and submitting, He will do the work He has promised.
He is so so so good!
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