God Is Rising Up

“Be silent, O all flesh, before the LORD: for he is raised up out of his holy habitation.” (Zechariah 2:13)

Hello, my friend…

Today I come to you with an especially encouraging message of hope and vision. In my previously posted and broadcast messages earlier this year, I spoke about how I have witnessed Satan rising up stronger and attacking believers more than in any year I have seen in my lifetime. I further confessed that it is my experience and my belief that when Satan does that, God rises up stronger in behalf of His people.

In today’s passage, we are at the end of the short little book of the prophet Zechariah. He has written concerning the re-building of the Temple in Jerusalem, how God will call His people home to Israel following their dispersion throughout the world, and how He will personally defend His people and His land. Now, I don’t want to get into a big political hoo-hah about Israel still being God’s chosen people, etc, but I do want to encourage you with this verse with which Zechariah wraps up his prophecy.

The children of Israel have, at this time, erected a new Temple in Jerusalem – although it is nothing in comparison with the original that Solomon built. God is promising to reward them for their work and their dedication of this Temple in His Name. This is an important concept for us to consider.

In the New Testament we are told that our bodies are the Temple of the Holy Spirit. We have become the church. Not the building, but the people. We dedicate ourselves to Him and His service. Our worship replaced the ritualistic ceremonies conducted within the original Temple. Our living sacrifices replaced the sacrifices of bulls and goats. The original lampstand was replaced by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in our lives. The loaves of bread that were placed within the Holy Place were subversed by our fellowship with one another as brothers and sisters. On and on the comparisons go.

The word Zechariah shared with the Israelites in this verse, then, become words of encouragement to us. As we dedicate ourselves to Jesus, as we live out His plan for our lives, we re-enact the pattern set by God in the Old Testament. Jesus came to fulfill the Law and the Prophets, not to replace them. His sacrifice on our behalf sealed forever our salvation as believers. Our feeble attempts at worship, our prayers, our offerings – they all become the Temple sacrifices of the Old Testament. God looks at our hearts, He sees our desires, and He blesses them. We enter God’s Presence with thanksgiving and praise. We can never give Him what He deserves, but His grace elevates our worship and service, purifies them, and accepts them as perfect.

Today, I encourage you to pray. Not one of those King James prayers you so often hear publicly spoken, but a heartfelt, sincere prayer from a humble heart. I know this will rub some people wrong, but Jesus didn’t speak the King’s English. He didn’t quote the Scoffield King James version of the Bible (although that is my favorite). God hears the words we speak – whether it is Southern English, Northern (high) English, British, Japanese, German, Swahili, French, whatever. James wrote (in James 5:16) that the effectual, fervant prayer of a righteous [man] avails much. In other words, the prayers that we offer out of a fervent (on-fire, passionate), effectual (working, practical) heart achieves much.

I urge you to reach out to God today. He sees what you are going through. He knows the concerns you have on your heart. He sees what is burdening you down. All He is waiting for is you to acknowledge Him, to cry out to Him, to ask Him for His deliverance and help. David wrote in Psalm 34:18 that the Lord is near those who have a broken heart and saves the humble.

Truly the Lord is looking for those who believe in Him, those who love Him and want to serve Him, in order that He might show Himself strong on our behalf. May that be you today, my friend.

Be blessed.