A Time For Pondering

Here again is the prophecy and the promise. Jerusalem will be a city without walls because of the great number of people and animals in it. And I myself will be a wall of fire around it, declares the LORD, and I will be its glory within. Zechariah 2: 4b - 5.

Be reminded that God gave this Word of Promise to Zechariah, His prophet. Through the angel of the Lord, this message was brought from heaven to earth, from God to man. We can, by faith, accept that we also, both you and I, are the recipients of this promise, through our nativity and lineage.

We therefore continue our reasoning, as we ponder the fact that Father God, as a Wall of Fire, or as a Circle of Warmth around His people, shows that from Him, His own children will receive:-

The warmth of Comfort. Is there not comfort when one knows that one has been surrounded by the protection of our Heavenly Father, whose power is All- Supreme and All-Mighty?

The warmth of Courage. Surely, when one knows that one is encircled by God’s Almighty strength and might, one is shrouded with courage in any battle, as all trust is in God. 

The warmth of Correction. Warmth has been joined together with correction, as the Lord corrects those whom He loves, to make them better. To know that God loves you enough to correct you, to bring changes in you, warms the heart, does it not? Indeed! Love warms the heart. 

The warmth of Consolation. To be consoled as only God can console, is freedom and peace. In the midst of life’s trials and troubles, you are daily, and ever consoled to know that God still surrounds you, that He has not abandoned you and that all that you are given to face is to your personal good and pleasing growth in Father God.

The Treasure that we triumphantly hold near and dear to us, is our Heavenly Father’s Word of Promise, that He is our Circle of Warmth. Okay, you say, but how does this relate to Advent? What is this Circle of Warmth and where does it show itself in Advent?

You are invited to turn to Zechariah in the New Testament, the priest of God who became a part of the Nativity of Messiah, in a most unique, miraculous and encompassing way. It behooves us to listen again to this familiar story, but with ears and eyes of triumph and a heart fully encircled with the comfort, courage, consolation and correction of our Heavenly Father.  

In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron. Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commands and decrees blamelessly. But they were childless because Elizabeth was not able to conceive, and they were both old. Luke 1: 5 – 7.

Let’s ponder some truth about this beautiful and devout couple. Here was a couple whom God saw as righteous in His sight. Here was a model couple, blameless in that they observed all the Lord’s commands and decrees.

I now introduce you to them, as children of God, God’s people, who are as a ‘city without walls’. It is not far-fetched to say that this couple, like all other couples in their day, would have wanted a child, fruit of their married union. It is not unfounded to state that they, a praying couple, would have prayed unceasingly to God, both individually and collectively, for a child. In fact, later on, we shall listen to the angel of God speak to Zechariah about his prayers to God for a child.  

But how, or why can we describe this couple of God, these people of blameless adherence to God’s commands and degrees, as people, ‘without walls’?

Tomorrow, we shall be given facts upon which we will be invited to ponder and receive the stirrings of the Holy Spirit.