Small Talk From Angels
“This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the Lord of hosts. ‘Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel, you shall become a plain! And he shall bring forth the capstone with shouts of ‘Grace, grace’ to it…The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this temple; his hands shall also finish it. Then you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you. For who has despised the day of small things?’” Zechariah 4:6-10
In Chapter 4 of the book of Zechariah, a government official in Israel, Zerubbabel, was worried about his assignment not taking place and his purpose not being done. He was sent back to rebuild the temple and the walls, and construction was not happening. But God sent an angel to tell him, “You are worried about the mountain, but I'm gonna tell you that the mountain will become a smooth place.” The angel said (paraphrased), “Your hands laid the foundation. You're discouraged right now, but your hands are going to finish the work.” And then he said, “Who has despised the day of small things?”
Zerubbabel was in a dilemma. He had laid the foundation, and the workers stopped showing up. There was no cooperation, and nothing seemed to be happening. Progress was being stopped by principalities, leaders, and enemies who didn't want the temple rebuilt. And for ten years, there was no forward motion. The people were scattered. There was no enthusiasm for the project. You can almost picture Zerubbabel’s discouragement and feelings of failure after working for ten years only to see very small results.
Have you ever known where you were going but needed help understanding where you were? That's location frustration. You don't see why it's not happening. God called you. God gave you the vision. It started great, but now you are in a season of tremendous discouragement.
In this passage, an angel is sent to a disheartened and depressed person to ask, ”What have you got?” And he said, “All I've got is a plumb line. It's just a measuring line. I've got that.” And the angel said, “Well, that's good. Don't despise the day of small beginnings.” Despise not the small things. The word despise means not to take the little things for granted. Another translation said, “Do not undervalue where you are and what you have.” God starts with what you have. The angel said, “All I need you to do is get out front and hold the line.” Sometimes, all God needs you to do is hold the line. He doesn't need you to try harder. He simply asks you to keep believing when nothing is happening and no one is cooperating with the vision that He's given you.
“It's not by (your) might, and it's not by (your) power, but it's by my spirit sayeth the Lord of hosts.” So, what do you do when you feel like giving up on the mission that God gave you? You get out front, and you hold the line. Don't let the enemy talk you out of what God has promised. For ten years, nobody showed up to help Zerubbabel. But God said, “Start shouting grace, grace.” God wanted him to know that His grace would make it happen. All of Zerubbabel’s talent was not enough. All of his connections were not enough.
Sometimes, the grace of God has to enter a situation, a business, or a family. The grace of God can change the whole atmosphere from failure to success.
But God said to Zerubbabel (paraphrased), “You are in the midst of the unfinished. You want to quit. But let me tell you something about quitting. It's always too soon to quit.” God notices people who have a “holding on” spirit. They just hold the line. When everybody else runs, they hold the line. When everybody else quits, they keep believing and praying, building their faith through worship and getting in God’s presence at church until His amazing grace intervenes.
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