Reasons to sing

Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion, for behold, I come and I will dwell in your midst, declares the LORD.  Zechariah 2:10

This is a command to sing and rejoice again in Jerusalem. Why? The exiles had returned to rebuild the city and restore the temple. They came back to a sad situation and a lot of hard work. Eventually there was opposition to the rebuilding of homes, walls, and the temple. The people became discouraged. They grew weary. The work stopped.

God brought visions of hope and a call to repentance through the prophet Zechariah. By faith again the people would see the hard work for what it was: a daily form of worship welcoming God in their midst. He would work in their work. He would restore as they rebuilt. He would lead them to sing and rejoice while doing so. The reason for their joy was that God was with them and had promised to restore all that was hoped for again.

O God of restoration,

I sing to You and will look to You as You dwell in our midst through Your Holy Spirit right now. How I long for broken walls to be restored, for a home to arise from rubble, for fractured relationships to heal, and for Your worship to always stay at the center of every part of my life. You give me reasons to sing!

Amen