Not By Might

"Then 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 of hosts.” 

—Zechariah 4:6

Trials, tribulations, problems, obstacles, setbacks and other difficulties make up the map of life. Inevitably, we all face a situation that is beyond our ability to comprehend or even cope with. Faced with situations when all hope seems lost, and life seems unbearable—God will make a way. For the child of God, there is special favor and the promise to have Him go with us through every conceivable situation (Matthew 28:20).

Upon their return to Jerusalem from their exile in Babylon, and buoyed by the prophecies of promised success in reestablishing the Jewish nation along with a moral reformation among the people, the Jews set about the task of rebuilding their great city and temple for God. Hope in the face of uncertainty is difficult, but hope in the face of prolonged stagnancy, coupled with over-taxation and moral degradation, can beat hope out of the greatest of saints. Zechariah prophesies to warn and encourage the people to continue on in the face of aggression. God had seen their plight, and while things may have stalled and their zeal waned, His purpose would still be accomplished. But it wouldn’t be accomplished by human ingenuity, political deals, or rallying civic pride. It would be accomplished by and through the Spirit of Almighty God.

Only God can create the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1), make the sea into dry land (Exodus 14:21), rain down bread and meat from heaven (Exodus 16), make a donkey talk (Numbers 22:8), direct the heart of a king wherever He wills (Proverbs 21:1), make a king eat grass (Daniel 4:33), make streams flow in the desert (Isaiah 35:6), make shadows from the sun go backwards (Isaiah 38:8-9), and cause armies to flee (2 Kings 7:6). Only God can make water come from a rock (Exodus 17:6) and turn water into blood (Exodus 7:20), and into wine (John 2:9). Only God can rain down fire from heaven (Genesis 19:24, Exodus 9:23, 1 Kings 18:38) and open up the earth to swallow the wicked (Numbers 16:32). God is God, and in the face of great human opposition, He enjoys showing Himself to be God on our behalf because in doing so He receives great glory and people come to know Him (Exodus 14:14). He may do this because of His own purposes, but more often than not, He does so when His people call upon Him (Psalm 50:15; 86:7).

My dear brother or sister, there is no situation that God cannot handle. There is no obstacle too big, no adversary too mighty, no situation too dire, and no problem too challenging that He cannot work for His purposes. Call upon Him and He will answer. He will show Himself to be God on behalf of those who love Him and fear Him. Trust in Him and He will do it. Amen.