We Heard that God is With You

Scripture: Thus says the LORD of hosts: In those days ten men from the nations of every tongue shall take hold of the robe of a Jew, saying, ‘Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.’ Zechariah 8:23

Observation: Zechariah is prophesying about a future day of blessing that God will visit upon his people. Here, I think he is talking about the day of Pentecost, where God’s people were so filled with His spirit that as they go out into the streets, people from every nation wanted to go with them because it was so obvious God was with them.

Application: “Let us go with you, for we heard God is with you.” I have lived in my neighborhood for 2 years now. What have my neighbors heard about me? That I am a nice guy? That my kids go to school down the street? That I am the man with no grass in his yard? Have they heard God is with me? What will be the result of God putting a family of believers in a neighborhood for two years? Impact, or irrelevance?

Prayer: God, I fear I have not been intentional enough about my neighborhood. I get so caught up in my house being a refuge for me, that I fail to see it as an opportunity. Would you help me be more mindful of my neighbors, and how I can extend the heart and hands of Christ to them?

With or Without You

Scripture: And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. Revelation 21:3

Observation: After the final destruction of Satan, sin, and death, God creates a new heaven and earth. The hallmark of this new forever is unhindered fellowship with God. God with us, is now a reality like never before. God with us has always been the goal, from the garden to eternity. But sin has kept us from this. Jesus came to be God with us, but still our fellowship was challenged by the world, the flesh, and the devil. Now that all three are gone, the ultimate goal of all of God’s promises—God with us, can begin.
Ephesians tells us that our sin has separated us from God, leaving us without hope and without God in the world (2:12). In the end, all of life comes down to the question: Am I with or without God in this world? To be without God in this world means we are without hope, because we face an eternity apart. To be with God in this world holds great hope that we will experience God with us forever.

Application: I want to start seeing people the way Jesus saw them—helpless and harassed, without a shepherd (without God) in this world.

Prayer: I pray you help me see people the way you do—either with or without You in this world. And give me opportunity to share the shepherd with them.