Thoughts for the Day

See, a day is coming for the Lord, when the plunder taken from you, will be divided in your midst. For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle, and the city shall be taken .... Then the Lord will go forth and fight against these nations as when he fights on a day of battle .... Then the Lord my God will come, and all the holy ones with him. On that day there shall not be either cold or frost. And there shall be continuous day (it is known to the Lord), not day and not night, for at evening time there shall be light ...

And the Lord will become king over all the earth; on that day the Lord will be one and his name one.

(Lectionary, New Revised Standard Version)

Thoughts

When the city of Jerusalem and it's Temple were destroyed by the Romans in 70 CE (Common Era) no doubt the Jews would have interpreted Zechariah's prophecy, made almost 600 years before, as applying to this catastrophic event. But many would see this as a notice of events yet to be fulfilled. This is a notice perhaps of the 'End times', when Christ will come again to judge the earth; a time when the state of the church has been damaged by sin; a time when there is a mixture of truth and error; and so also a time of happiness and misery. We all know that the church holds both these things within it now, and likely always has done. But Zechariah seems to indicate that when things are at their worst and when the future looks totally unpromising, then the Lord will turn such darkness into light. When we have stopped looking for deliverance from God, He will come to save His people.

We have absolutely no idea when such a time will happen, and no doubt over the centuries many people have thought things were at their worst - when wars, natural disasters, and plagues have occurred for instance. Many christians have waited for the return of their Lord. All we can do when we feel our world is turning upside down is to remain faithful as christians and put our trust in Him!

Lord Jesus Christ,
You taught Your disciples
that You would return,
and that this would be a day of reckoning.
When our world seems to turn upside down,
and our church is all too often divided,
help us to cling to the basics of our faith -
to love You and all people.
May we put all our trust in You
and in Your promises.
Amen.