Devotion 

God is With You

Frances Taylor 

I needed to think about this passage for a while. I checked out a different translation and "Yahweh of Armies" was translated "Lord of Hosts." I think that gives me a different take on this section of Zechariah. It places God at the head of those who trust him to save them from those who would overcome them and enslave them. The Israelites had been ruled at different times by different enemies – usually after they had been unfaithful to Yahweh. This passage made me think of Jesus and the woman with the hemorrhage who held on to the hem of his garment and was healed, because she believed that God was with him. It made me wonder if we who say that we believe that God is with us, are good enough examples of this belief to have people want to hold the hem of our garments in search of the God who is with us. The world is always in flux and people of every nation are threatened in one way or another. For some, it is the materialistic, anti-God culture, for others it is the anti-Christian culture and for others it is the poverty that threatens their existence. But Christianity is often threatened from within. We are so much more alike than different but Satan has a good time trying to keep us apart. When we finally get it together the way Jesus intended, then Christianity will once again be a force for changing the world. "See how they love one another" will once again be the sign of the Christian.

Prayer 

Lord, we have grasped the skirt of a Jew, Jesus, to lead us to you. May we hang on to that skirt and live in such a way that others will grab on as well for they will know the you, the Lord, are with your people. Amen.