Daily Fountain Devotional 18 August 2020 for Anglican Communion
TOPIC: Divine Restoration
TEXT: Zechariah 1:7-21(NKJV)
7. On the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month, which is the month Shebat, in the second year of Darius, the word of the LORD came to Zechariah the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo the prophet:
8. I saw by night, and behold, a man riding on a red horse, and it stood among the myrtle trees in the hollow; and behind him [were] horses: red, sorrel, and white.
9. Then I said, “My lord, what [are] these?” So the angel who talked with me said to me, “I will show you what they [are.”]
10. And the man who stood among the myrtle trees answered and said, “These [are the ones] whom the LORD has sent to walk to and fro throughout the earth.”
11. So they answered the Angel of the LORD, who stood among the myrtle trees, and said, “We have walked to and fro throughout the earth, and behold, all the earth is resting quietly.”
12. Then the Angel of the LORD answered and said, “O LORD of hosts, how long will You not have mercy on Jerusalem and on the cities of Judah, against which You were angry these seventy years?”
13. And the LORD answered the angel who talked to me, [with] good [and] comforting words.
14. So the angel who spoke with me said to me, “Proclaim, saying, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts: “I am zealous for Jerusalem And for Zion with great zeal.
15. I am exceedingly angry with the nations at ease; For I was a little angry, And they helped — [but] with evil [intent.”]
16. ‘Therefore thus says the LORD: “I am returning to Jerusalem with mercy; My house shall be built in it,” says the LORD of hosts, “And a [surveyor’s] line shall be stretched out over Jerusalem.” ‘
17. “Again proclaim, saying, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts: “My cities shall again spread out through prosperity; The LORD will again comfort Zion, And will again choose Jerusalem.” ‘ ”
18. Then I raised my eyes and looked, and there [were] four horns.
19. And I said to the angel who talked with me, “What [are] these?” So he answered me, “These [are] the horns that have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem.”
20. Then the LORD showed me four craftsmen.
21. And I said, “What are these coming to do?” So he said, “These [are] the horns that scattered Judah, so that no one could lift up his head; but the craftsmen are coming to terrify them, to cast out the horns of the nations that lifted up [their] horn against the land of Judah to scatter it.”
READ ALSO: Scripture Union Daily Guide 18 August 2020 – To the Desert Road
STUDY: Our meditation yesterday reminded us of God’s displeasure with the remnants who survived the Babylonian captivity. He was angry with the Israelites because of their evil ways. But now that they had turned to Him with a penitent heart, He had repented of what he purposed to do and promised to restore all their lost fortunes.
The Bible says “Therefore, thus says the Lord, ‘I am returning to Jerusalem with mercy; My house shall be built in it says the Lord of hosts, And a surveyor’s line shall be stretched out over Jerusalem…My cities shall again spread out through prosperity; The Lord will again comfort Zion and will again choose Jerusalem” (vs. 16-17).
Beloved, if you also can turn to the Lord today with a broken and contrite heart, He will turn to you and grant you mercy, prosperity and comfort. He has promised you everything that makes life enjoyable- peace of mind, joy, breakthroughs, victory over Satan and his cohorts (vs. 18-21). All of these can be enjoyed only if you can secure God’s attention by holy living and purity of heart.
When David confessed his sin before God, his joy of salvation was restored to him (Psalm 51:12). What have you lost to the devil as a result of your sin? Turn to the Lord today and your lost glory – the joy of your marriage, peace of mind and joy of your salvation – will be restored to you.
PRAYER: O Lord, restore unto me today all my lost fortunes, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
DAILY QUOTE: “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all. He guards all his bones, not one of them is broken.” (Psalm 34:19-20)
Daily Fountain Devotional 18 August 2020 – The Church of Nigeria is the Anglican church in Nigeria. It is the second-largest province in the Anglican Communion, as measured by baptized membership, after the Church of England. It gives its current membership as “over 18 million”, out of a total Nigerian population of over 200 million.