Zechariah 7 Devotions by Stephen Taylor

Zechariah 7:1-3

In the fourth year of King Darius, the word of the LORD came to Zechariah on the fourth day of the ninth month, the month of Kislev. The people of Bethel had sent Sharezer and Regem-Melek, together with their men, to entreat the LORD by asking the priests of the house of the LORD Almighty and the prophets, “Should I mourn and fast in the fifth month, as I have done for so many years?”

On the surface, this looks like a good thing to ask and to do, but if we look below the surface and read between the lines, we see that they are really just asking if they should continue going through the motions with this half-hearted devotion. They fasted because it was the thing to do, not because their hearts were in it. They were not fasting to break chains or seek the LORD; they were not fasting in humble repentance or in desperation for the LORD but because it’s what they always had done, so why change it now?

Does this describe our walk with the LORD? and I’m asking this question both for us personally and also corporately. Is our daily journey with the LORD just a bunch of checked boxes and going through the motions, or is it the very foundation of our existence? We can and should pose the same question about the churches we attend. Have we become too rigid and set in our ways to really hear, see, and feel the LORD on Sundays?

Don’t get me wrong; no man can stop God from moving, but if man stops moving toward God, then how do we expect God to respond? He is a gracious and merciful God, but He is also Holy, righteous, and deserving of our deepest devotion. As these revival fires burn around the world, we must ask ourselves, if one were to burn in our heart or church, would we douse it with the waters of routine, or nurture the flame with openness, eagerness, and willingness to move as the LORD directs?

LORD, please forgive me for every time my schedule has interfered with Your Spirit; please prepare me for what You want to do, and please help me to move as You move.

So what are we hungry for? More of the same or more of the Spirit? What we hunger for will drive us into action! LORD, come purify the motives of our hearts and help us to hear when You call!

Proverbs 16:26- The appetite of laborers works for them; their hunger drives them on.

God bless! I love you all, but His love doesn’t fit into a box but is the box we must fit into! Glory, honor, and praise now and forever to Papa God, Jesus Christ our King, and the Holy Spirit!