Casting Your Cares On The Lord
Zechariah 4:6
"Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.”
Every now and then we all come under pressure – the pressure of performing a daunting task and meeting deadlines, the pressure of accomplishing a vision or a set goal, the pressure of attaining people’s high expectations of us; that kind of pressure that leaves you overwhelmed, bewildered and discouraged, so much that you begin to despair of life itself.
What do you do when you have done all you know how to do? What do you do when you have exhausted all available and known options? What do you do when you don’t know what else to do?
Zerubbabel was the governor of Judah, he was faced with an almost impossible task of reconstructing and rebuilding the Temple in Jerusalem that was destroyed.
Zerubbabel was faced with many challenges within and without as he set out to obey God and accomplish the task before him. Surrounding him were oppositions from haters, conspirators, betrayers, liars, thieves and many detractors, whilst within himself he was faced with an even greater threat of anxiety, worry, and discouragement.
Often times people fail in life not because of the opposition from outside, form friends, family or enemies; people fail for the lack of inner strength and courage to overcome the silent, hidden inner enemy called fear, anxiety and discouragement.
DISCOURAGEMENT WILL SHACKLE AND PARALYZE OUR VISION AND HINDER US FROM FULFILLING OUR GOD-GIVEN ASSIGNMENT.
This was the challenge that Zerubbabel the governor of Judah was faced with - discouragement.
And just like Zerubbabel, you may be faced with a mountain of pressure and a seeming insurmountable weight of discouragement as you endeavor to rebuild a broken down marriage, a broken vision, a broken hope, a broken heart, a broken financial capacity, a broken academic dream, a broken down life. You may be going through a discouraging doctor’s prognosis of a degenerative disease, or an eviction notice from your landlord, the fear and discouragement of raising a special needs child, or being laid off from your job… whatever your discouragement is, I want you to hear what God said to a man who had exhausted his potency, his technical know-how and human capability, he had come to his wits end and needed inner strength as he endeavored to accomplish the vision in his heart:
Verse 6. "… This is the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.” In other words Zerubbabel, this is how to accomplish a daunting task, this is how God takes over when we're faced with discouragement and can't seem to figure a way out, - it won’t be by the support of your friends, it won’t be by the fame of your family pedigree, it won’t be by the help of your business associates and the power brokers in your network. The victory over your present predicament shall be not by your might (self-ability), not by your power (external forces), but it shall be by MY SPIRIT SAYS THE LORD!
When we are faced with oppositions outside and discouragement within, when we have done all we know to do and still can't make headway,it's time to let go and let God, let His Spirit direct and carry you. If He carried the weight of the world upon His shoulder, surely He can and will carry you.
Don’t try to accomplish God’s work by your emotions or your intellect or your resources, the Holy Spirit is greater than any human power, potency or potential. Man is a limited resource, but God is limitless.
When in discouragement, remind yourself that this one is not on me, THIS ONE'S ON GOD!
"Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you." - 1 Peter 5:7
