Zechariah Chapter 10
Showing all 12 verses for Zechariah Chapter 10.
The People's Bible is written by people, for the people. Each verse below shows:
"Ask ye of the LORD rain in the time of the latter rain; so the LORD shall make bright clouds, and give them showers of rain, to every one grass in the field. "
"Ask the LORD for rain in the season of the spring rains; it is the LORD who makes the storm clouds and sends showers of rain, giving grass in the field to everyone."
Whatever you desperately need right now, don't be embarrassed to simply ask for it honestly - I'm not offended by direct requests. I'd rather you come straight to me than quietly search for shortcuts and substitutes.
"For the idols have spoken vanity, and the diviners have seen a lie, and have told false dreams; they comfort in vain: therefore they went their way as a flock, they were troubled, because there was no shepherd. "
"For household idols speak nonsense, and fortune-tellers see lies, telling false dreams; their comfort is empty. So the people wander like a flock, troubled, because they have no shepherd."
When you're anxious, be careful what you turn to for comfort - some things promise relief but leave you more lost than before. I want to be the kind of presence in your life that actually leads somewhere, not just offers empty reassurance.
"Mine anger was kindled against the shepherds, and I punished the goats: for the LORD of hosts hath visited his flock the house of Judah, and hath made them as his goodly horse in the battle. "
"My anger burned against the shepherds, and I will punish the leaders; for the LORD of Heaven's Armies is coming to care for his flock, the people of Judah, and will make them like his splendid warhorse in battle."
If you have any kind of responsibility over others - as a leader, a parent, someone people look up to - I hold that seriously; care for those under your influence rather than using them for your own gain. Those let down by leadership are not forgotten by me.
"Out of him came forth the corner, out of him the nail, out of him the battle bow, out of him every oppressor together. "
"From Judah will come the cornerstone, from him the tent peg, from him the battle bow, from him every ruler, all together."
Real, dependable leadership - the kind others can build their lives on - grows out of character and faithfulness, not out of imposing yourself on people from outside. If you want to be someone others can rely on, be a cornerstone, not a conqueror.
"And they shall be as mighty men, which tread down their enemies in the mire of the streets in the battle: and they shall fight, because the LORD is with them, and the riders on horses shall be confounded. "
"They will be like mighty warriors trampling their enemies into the mud of the streets in battle; they will fight because the LORD is with them, and even cavalry riders will be put to shame."
Courage doesn't have to come from feeling naturally strong - it can come from knowing you're not facing things alone. When you feel outmatched, remember that presence, not raw power, is often what actually carries you through.
"And I will strengthen the house of Judah, and I will save the house of Joseph, and I will bring them again to place them; for I have mercy upon them: and they shall be as though I had not cast them off: for I am the LORD their God, and will hear them. "
"I will strengthen the people of Judah and rescue the people of Joseph (the northern tribes); I will bring them back and settle them again, because I have mercy on them. They will be as if I had never rejected them, for I am the LORD their God, and I will answer them."
However far you feel you've drifted, however long it's been since things felt right, restoration isn't off the table - I don't measure how 'cast off' someone deserves to feel and hold them to it forever. Mercy can undo a very long estrangement.
"And they of Ephraim shall be like a mighty man, and their heart shall rejoice as through wine: yea, their children shall see it, and be glad; their heart shall rejoice in the LORD. "
"The people of Ephraim will be like a mighty warrior, their hearts full of joy as if from wine; their children will see it and be glad, their hearts rejoicing in the LORD."
The good things that happen in your life don't stop with you - the people watching you, especially the young ones, absorb whether joy and gratitude are real or not. Let your own restoration be something worth passing on.
"I will hiss for them, and gather them; for I have redeemed them: and they shall increase as they have increased. "
"I will whistle for them and gather them in, for I have bought them back; they will grow in number as they once did."
You don't need a dramatic rescue to be found - sometimes it's as simple as recognising a familiar call and choosing to follow it home. I'm not far off shouting; I'm near enough to just call, and I trust you to know the sound.
"And I will sow them among the people: and they shall remember me in far countries; and they shall live with their children, and turn again. "
"I will scatter them like seed among the nations, and even in distant lands they will remember me; they will live on with their children, and then return."
Being far from where you started, even far from what once felt like home, doesn't mean you're forgotten or finished growing. Sometimes what looks like being scattered is actually being planted somewhere new for a season.
"I will bring them again also out of the land of Egypt, and gather them out of Assyria; and I will bring them into the land of Gilead and Lebanon; and place shall not be found for them. "
"I will bring them back from Egypt and gather them from Assyria; I will bring them into Gilead and Lebanon, until there isn't enough room for them all."
Don't underestimate how much room there might need to be for what I'm bringing back into your life - sometimes restoration outgrows the space you'd prepared for it. Expect more, not less, than you dared to hope.
"And he shall pass through the sea with affliction, and shall smite the waves in the sea, and all the deeps of the river shall dry up: and the pride of Assyria shall be brought down, and the sceptre of Egypt shall depart away. "
"He will pass through the sea of distress, striking down its waves; all the depths of the river will dry up. The pride of Assyria will be brought low, and Egypt's royal power will be taken away."
Whatever has historically had power over you - old fears, old situations, old versions of 'how things are' - none of it holds permanent authority over your future. What once looked unstoppable can lose its grip completely.
"And I will strengthen them in the LORD; and they shall walk up and down in his name, saith the LORD. "
"I will make them strong through the LORD, and they will go about their lives in his name, says the LORD."
The point of being strengthened isn't one big dramatic moment - it's being able to walk through ordinary days with quiet confidence, carrying something bigger than yourself with you wherever you go. That's available to you too.