15b … This is what the LORD says: ‘Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army, for the battle does not belong to you, but to God.

20b … Believe in the LORD your God, and you will be established; believe His prophets, and you will succeed.

— 2 Chronicles 20:15b, 20b

So he said to me, “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the LORD of Hosts.

— Zechariah 4:6

“Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!”

— Psalm 46:10

14 Now since the children have flesh and blood, He too shared in their humanity, so that by His death He might destroy him who holds the power of death, that is, the devil,

15 and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.

— Hebrews 2:14-15

Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.

— 2 Corinthians 3:17

Thoughts on Today’s Reading

Grace, mercy and love from Christ to you.

Recognizing our futility and desperation apart from God’s intervention prepares us to look to God to accomplish what our own efforts cannot. The Old Testament details the story of a people, the Israelites, who could manage only fleeting obedience but needed to set their hope on God’s provision. The Old Testament foreshadows what the New Testament fulfills. Opening with the announcement and coming of the promised Messiah and Savior, the New Testament presents Jesus Christ, God’s promised deliverer, who would defeat sin and death.

In grace and mercy, God enables His people to fellowship with Him and walk in a way that pleases Him. The Gospels and Epistles explain Christ’s atoning work while the book of Revelation reveals God’s ultimate triumph over His enemies and the eternal deliverance of His people. People who look to Jesus Christ in faith receive salvation, a restored relationship with God, and freedom from sin’s grip through the power of the Holy Spirit.