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.

In some ways it’s been a really tough week for Myra and me. There have been family challenges, work challenges and neighbor challenges. You know, one of those weeks when you wonder how you made it through.

The thing is, we’ve both been there before. This isn’t the first time we’ve had to keep on through a tough week — either on our own, or together … How do we make it through these times?

Do you remember Zerubbabel? He was the man in David’s line who, reared in Babylon, was sent by Cyrus to build a temple of the Lord in Jerusalem. At first the work went well, but then local opposition brought the building to a grinding halt:

Then the people of the land weakened the hands of the people of Judah, and troubled them in building, and hired counselors against them, to frustrate their purpose, all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia. And in the reign of Ahasuerus, in the beginning of his reign, wrote they unto him an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem. (Ezra 4:4-6)

Ahasuerus (Artaxerxes) gave instructions for the work to stop. But that wasn’t the end of the story …

Early in the reign of the Persian king Darius, at the urging of the prophets Haggai and Zechariah, Zerubbabel took up the challenge once more and this time the temple was completed. 

What was it that allowed Zerubbabel to drive through the disappointment and disillusion and pick up the task again …? Zechariah tells us, and knowing what sustained him will help us too.

Zerubbabel is assured of several things, the first of which is that his own power and abilities will not suffice for the challenge he faces.

The second assurance that Zerubbabel  receives is that the Spirit of the Lord will provide all that is needed to enable his task to be completed.

Thirdly, Zerubbabel is assured that although the obstacles in front of him appear to be mountainous, they will be leveled before him.

The promises made to Zerubbabel are the same promises Myra and I rely on when the going gets tough. 

First, there is the promise of our inadequacy. Does it seem strange that I call that a promise? It’s just that I love the idea of relying on God’s strength rather than my own! Then there are the combined promises of the help of the Holy Spirit and the removal of the obstacles that face us …

It’s knowing we can trust in the Lord that carries us through. When things get tough, the tough get going … To the foot of the cross!