Zechariah 8--Rising from the Ashes

We remember the piles of twisted steel and other debris that sat smoking in New York City as a result of the September 11, 2001 attacks. Massive 100+ story buildings reduced to rubble. We remember scenes in 2005 of flood waters engulfing the City of New Orleans and surrounding environs as the costliest hurricane in U.S. history devastated the Gulf Coast. Looking at those scenes of devastation, the question on many minds was, "Could these ever be rebuilt? Can something new rise from the ashes?" The answer, as we see even today, is "Yes!" But the rebuilding started with a vision--and a belief. A vision of people once again walking the streets of a city and the vision of workers once again filling office buildings. A belief that enormous obstacles could be conquered. In Zechariah 8, God inspires the Jewish people with a vision and a call to believe in order to overcome the destruction of their city, Jerusalem. Some of the elderly Jews who had returned to Israel from Babylonian captivity remember seeing their beloved city utterly destroyed. Even though they now had been back in the land for several years, the city was still in bad shape. The rebuilding of the temple was not yet complete. The city walls were non-existent. Few people actually lived in Jerusalem itself. In the midst of this despair, God gives them a vision of children once again playing in the streets (v5) and people growing old there (v4). But they would have to believe. They would have to believe enough to be strong in their current situation (v9). They would have to believe that God would be faithful to once again prosper them (v12). They would have to believe enough to change their actions by speaking truth and living justly with each other (vv16-17). Vision and belief are what enable the Jews to rebuild. You might be in a situation where you feel like your life is in ruins. "How could something good ever rise out of the ashes of my devastation," you ask. It can if you have two things--vision and belief.

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Frank Banfill is an author, international speaker, and president of MaxPoint Ministries, whose purpose is to help individuals, churches and ministries reach their full potential. Please forward this blog to your family & friends. Not a subscriber? Sign up now at www.FranksBibleBlog.com.