I’m a follower of politics. These days the topic is hard to ignore. But even when the current hubbub calms, the push and pull of statecraft will continue to draw my attention. I enjoy biographies of leaders and how they managed the issues of their day. Histories about the wise exercise or stunning misuse of power enthrall me.

God works a different methodology. This word of the Lord came to Zerubbabel through the prophet Zechariah, describing how Jehovah planned to accomplish his purposes—Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit.

The Lord accomplishes his will not by the force of nations or the supremacy of kings. Not through social influencers boasting millions of followers, or political clout, or overwhelming military strength.

The Lord can use all these things, of course, or develop novel forms of power and might. But God needs none of these happy meal toys. The all-sufficient God engineers his purposes in whatever way he chooses. The Spirit moves in mysterious ways.

Which is wonderful. I’m not ultimately addicted to the influence I develop or the resources I gather. Rather, I rely on the movements of the Spirit in my life, the one who works quietly, yet inexorably, through unorthodox means.

Zechariah 4 in Through the Bible in 2024

Photo by Jon Tyson