Not By Might But Spirit

Not By Might But Spirit

Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts. (Zechariah 4:6b)

When the above words were spoken, the children of Israel were a conquered people. They were under Persian rule. The temple had been destroyed. Jerusalem lay in ruins. They knew they were up against insurmountable odds. How would they survive?

God spoke to Zechariah, “’Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord of hosts.” It’s not by human grit or by mustering an army that guarantees success. It is God, the commander of heavenly armies – the Lord of hosts – who provides the strength that opens the doors we cannot.

We begin the year by joining the entire association of Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ (LCMC) in THREE DAYS OF PRAYER Tuesday through Thursday, January 5-7. I ask you to sign up and participate in this key event.

Just as Zechariah directed Israel’s leadership to follow the lead of God’s Spirit, so we should heed that same guidance as we enter this New Year. Each year, we have faced challenges as a family of faith that we would not have had the wisdom to navigate without God’s help. Please join in the effort to really listen to God’s direction.

Sign up and commit to pray. If you haven’t ever signed up to pray, it’s not complicated. Because we desire to cover as much of the day as possible, look for the sign-up board. I ask that you sign up for a specific time and to honor that time as when you will be praying and listening on behalf of Gloria Dei.

If you aren’t sure how to go about investing your time in prayer, get a message to Pr. Scott, as he is helping with this effort and ask him about a way to go about your prayer time.

It is our desire to have a lasting God-driven impact on our community. What better way to begin than by asking God to direct our steps.

God reminded the leaders of Israel that it’s not by our skill that lasting impact happens. It is by moving in the direction God leads us. The word of God to them was, “Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts.”  God was reminding them to listen and then follow the work of His Spirit. Let’s begin 2021 by doing exactly that.

Keep and Live the Faith!

-Pr. Dave Dahl

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