NOT BY MIGHT NOR BY POWER

By Evangeline Unity Esaaba Folson

Zechariah 4: 6-7

Then he answered and spake unto me saying, this is the word of the Lord, unto Zerubbabel, saying, “Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit said the Lord of hosts”.

Who art thou O great mountain before Zerubbabel, thou shalt become a plain, and he shall bring forth the headstone thereof with shouting crying, Grace, grace unto it.

Its been almost six months since the coronavirus attacked the first man. With all the great discoveries in science and technology, no vaccine or cure has been found. Christians all over the world have fasted and prayed. Still, new cases of infections and death are being recorded. When will all this end? Our leaders keep saying” This too shall pass? These are questions a lot of people may be asking.

Lessons from Zechariah 4:6-7

There are a few things we can learn from the passage:

It is not by power or by might. (Habakkuk 3 :17-19)
But by my spirit (the Spirit of God) (John 15 :5, Acts1 : 8, Romans 8:11)
Great mountains shall become plains (Matthew 21:21, Matthew 17:20, Luke 17:20, Hebrews 11 :1)

Not by might or by power

Habakkuk 3: 17-19

Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labor of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls.

Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation.

The Lord God is my strength, and He will make my feet like hinds feet, and He will make me to walk upon mine high places…….

“Not by might nor by power”, in my opinion means we cannot win or overcome our challenges by using our own strength and wisdom. Like the passage in Habakkuk 3, a picture is painted of a farmer who has worked hard in the field but his crops and livestock are not yielding fruit as expected.

Scientists may be working hard in laboratories and Christians may be relying on their fasting and prayers but there is no marked change in events. There is no need to give up and throw our hands in the air. God is very much still in control.

Like Habakkuk, we should rejoice in the Lord and joy in the God of our salvation. We can do this by praising God and thanking Him in advance for salvation from our current challenge.

1Thessalonians 5: 18 says:

In everything give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

As we praise and thank God, He will be our strength, and help us obtain the victory we desire so much.

But by my Spirit (the Spirit of God)

John 15: 5

I am the vine, ye are the branches. He that abideth in me, and I in Him, the same bringeth forth much fruit; for without me you can do nothing.

Acts 1:8

But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Spirit is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

Romans 8 : 11

But if the spirit of Him that raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He shall quicken your mortal bodies.

I believe when Habakkuk said by “my spirit” he meant we should wait for the spirit of God to resolve the issue.

John 15 : 5 says, “without me, you can do nothing” meaning without Christ working through the Holy Spirit we can do nothing. Why?

The answer is given in Acts 1 : 8, Jesus, before ascending into heaven said to His disciples that, they would receive power after the Holy Ghost comes upon them to do the work He was leaving them – witnessing to the world. The Holy Spirit gives us the power to do what we cannot do by our own strength.

Our need for the Holy Spirit to empower us to do great things is again confirmed in Romans 8 :11. If the Holy Spirit raised Jesus from the dead, then the Holy Spirit can do mighty things.

That is what we need now, a divine intervention by God through His spirit to put an end to the pandemic. We would not know when or how but, He will make a way.

Great mountains shall become plains

Matthew 21: 21

Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily, I say unto you. If ye have faith and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea, it shall be done.

The same message is repeated in Matthew 17: 20 and Luke 17: 6. Jesus tells His disciples if they have faith, believe, and do not doubt that their words can work wonders if spoken in the name of Jesus. They shall do great things.

Hebrews 11: 1

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

We may not see significant changes now, signaling the end of the pandemic, but God is still working, we may not see or feel it now but when the work is complete we shall all see what He has done.

Let’s keep:

Praising and thanking God for salvation from the pandemic.
Claiming and confessing healing for all affected by the pandemic.
Exercising our faith by backing our faith with actions, If we believe God would put an end to the pandemic then :

We should do all the things recommended by the health personnel.
Give to the less fortunate to help us all live through the pandemic.

Conclusion

I like to end with words of songs because music helped me memorize a lot of bible passages.

Memorize and meditate on the words of this song:

Jesus is faithful, He never fails

He is faithful to His word

He has promised, He will never fail

He is always there for me.