Oct.1st.
TOdays Reading - Zechariah 10-12 ...
📖 Oct 1
Scripture Focus
“Ask the Lord for rain in the time of the latter rain.
It is the Lord who makes the lightning;
He gives rain showers to everyone in the field.”
(Zechariah 10:1 AMPC)
“I will strengthen the house of Judah;
I will save the house of Joseph.
I will bring them back because I have compassion on them.
They shall be as though I had not cast them off,
for I am the Lord their God, and I will hear them.”
(Zechariah 10:6)
“From Judah will come the Cornerstone, the Tent-Peg,
the Bow for battle—and every ruler.”
(Zechariah 10:4 NLT)
“They will look on Me, the One they have pierced,
and they will mourn for Him as for an only son.”
(Zechariah 12:10 NLT)
“God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in times of trouble.”
(Psalm 46:1)
⸻
🌿 Reflection – He Still Calls Us to Come to Him
My sister-friends,
as I read through Zechariah 10–12, I have to be honest—it was a challenge at first to see the lesson for me. I could have just focused on the call to ask the Lord for rain (10:1), or on the future mourning when Israel will look on the One they pierced (12:10).
But as I kept reading, I began to see the steady thread of God’s grace and His heart for His people.
After hundreds of years of Israel’s rebellion—centuries of rejecting the one true God so that He finally sent them into captivity—He still speaks words of mercy:
“I will strengthen… I will save… I will bring them back… I will hear them.” (10:6)
His compassion still calls them back, inviting them to come to Him as the true source of blessing—not to idols, not to human leaders.
This lesson—to run to the Lord first—is something I still have to remind myself to do.
Just the other week one of our cars broke down. We really needed that car, and my brain instantly started scrambling: call the mechanic, call a friend who knows cars, figure out how much the repair will cost. I did throw up a quick “Lord, help us” prayer, but I was mostly busy trying to fix it myself.
Only after we found out the car couldn’t be repaired and had to be junked did I realize the Lord had known that all along. If I had paused and gone to Him first, I could have saved myself the stress. He had already gone ahead of us and was providing in a different way.
Isn’t that so often the case?
In the big trials of life we know we need the Lord, but in the everyday problems we often scramble first and pray second.
Yet His promise is still true:
“God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in times of trouble.” (Psalm 46:1)
The same God who called Israel back still says to us, Come to Me first. I will strengthen you. I will save you. I will hear you.
And remember—we who believe in Christ have been grafted in to those covenant promises (Romans 11:17-18).
From Judah came the Cornerstone, the Tent-Peg, the Bow for battle (Zechariah 10:4):
•Jesus is the Cornerstone on whom we build our lives.
•He is the Tent-Peg that holds us secure.
•He is the Bow for battle who gives us victory.
What amazing 🙌 grace that we can have such a close relationship with the One who gave His life for us!
Chapter 11 breaks my heart.
The Shepherd is rejected for thirty pieces of silver—a prophecy that pointed ahead to Judas’s betrayal of Jesus.
It reminds me that God’s plan of salvation was set long before the cross.
The rejection of the Good Shepherd shows the deep cost of our redemption and warns us not to take His grace lightly.
And chapter 12 points us to the day when Israel will finally see Jesus—the One they pierced—and will mourn and repent.
God promises to pour out on them a Spirit of grace and prayer (12:10).
That same Spirit is at work in us now—drawing us to repent, to pray, and to cling to Jesus.
This, to me, is the beautiful heartbeat of these chapters:
Because Jesus was pierced, rejected, and condemned for us, we now live under the covering of His grace.
We can run to Him in every need, trusting His promise to strengthen, save, restore, and hear us.
When He whistles, we come running—because He alone has all we need. 🕊️
⸻
💡 Lesson for Me
God calls me to run to Him—not as a last resort but as my first response.
He is both my Cornerstone and my Tent-Peg—my firm foundation and my secure anchor.
If He could gather and restore a rebellious nation, He can surely restore what has been lost in my own heart and home.
I can trust His 🙌 grace to hold me steady and His Spirit to lead me.
⸻
📝 Application Questions
1.In what small, everyday problem do I usually scramble first instead of running to Jesus?
2.How can I begin to pause and pray before I plan or fix?
3.Which promise in these chapters (10:1, 10:6, 12:10) do I need to cling to today?
4.Where have I seen God restore what I thought was lost—faith, joy, courage, or purpose?
5.What does it mean to me personally that Jesus is the Cornerstone, Tent-Peg, and Bow for battle?
⸻
🙏 Prayer
Lord Jesus,
thank You for being my Cornerstone—steady beneath my feet;
my Tent-Peg—holding me secure in Your love;
my Bow—giving me victory in the battles I face.
Forgive me for the times I run first to my own plans or to people instead of coming to You.
Teach me to pause, to seek You, and to trust that You already know what I need.
Pour out on me the same Spirit of grace and prayer You promised to Israel.
Help me to keep looking to You, the One who was pierced for me.
Amen.
⸻
✍️ Journaling Reminder
Take a few quiet moments to sit with Jesus.
Ask Him:
“Lord, what do You want me to trust You with today instead of trying to fix it on my own?
Where do You want to strengthen or restore me?”
Write down what He puts on your heart—any promises, instructions, or encouragement—so you can return to it and keep walking in it.
Scripture Focus
“Ask the Lord for rain in the time of the latter rain.
It is the Lord who makes the lightning;
He gives rain showers to everyone in the field.”
(Zechariah 10:1 AMPC)
“I will strengthen the house of Judah;
I will save the house of Joseph.
I will bring them back because I have compassion on them.
They shall be as though I had not cast them off,
for I am the Lord their God, and I will hear them.”
(Zechariah 10:6)
“From Judah will come the Cornerstone, the Tent-Peg,
the Bow for battle—and every ruler.”
(Zechariah 10:4 NLT)
“They will look on Me, the One they have pierced,
and they will mourn for Him as for an only son.”
(Zechariah 12:10 NLT)
“God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in times of trouble.”
(Psalm 46:1)
⸻
🌿 Reflection – He Still Calls Us to Come to Him
My sister-friends,
as I read through Zechariah 10–12, I have to be honest—it was a challenge at first to see the lesson for me. I could have just focused on the call to ask the Lord for rain (10:1), or on the future mourning when Israel will look on the One they pierced (12:10).
But as I kept reading, I began to see the steady thread of God’s grace and His heart for His people.
After hundreds of years of Israel’s rebellion—centuries of rejecting the one true God so that He finally sent them into captivity—He still speaks words of mercy:
“I will strengthen… I will save… I will bring them back… I will hear them.” (10:6)
His compassion still calls them back, inviting them to come to Him as the true source of blessing—not to idols, not to human leaders.
This lesson—to run to the Lord first—is something I still have to remind myself to do.
Just the other week one of our cars broke down. We really needed that car, and my brain instantly started scrambling: call the mechanic, call a friend who knows cars, figure out how much the repair will cost. I did throw up a quick “Lord, help us” prayer, but I was mostly busy trying to fix it myself.
Only after we found out the car couldn’t be repaired and had to be junked did I realize the Lord had known that all along. If I had paused and gone to Him first, I could have saved myself the stress. He had already gone ahead of us and was providing in a different way.
Isn’t that so often the case?
In the big trials of life we know we need the Lord, but in the everyday problems we often scramble first and pray second.
Yet His promise is still true:
“God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in times of trouble.” (Psalm 46:1)
The same God who called Israel back still says to us, Come to Me first. I will strengthen you. I will save you. I will hear you.
And remember—we who believe in Christ have been grafted in to those covenant promises (Romans 11:17-18).
From Judah came the Cornerstone, the Tent-Peg, the Bow for battle (Zechariah 10:4):
•Jesus is the Cornerstone on whom we build our lives.
•He is the Tent-Peg that holds us secure.
•He is the Bow for battle who gives us victory.
What amazing 🙌 grace that we can have such a close relationship with the One who gave His life for us!
Chapter 11 breaks my heart.
The Shepherd is rejected for thirty pieces of silver—a prophecy that pointed ahead to Judas’s betrayal of Jesus.
It reminds me that God’s plan of salvation was set long before the cross.
The rejection of the Good Shepherd shows the deep cost of our redemption and warns us not to take His grace lightly.
And chapter 12 points us to the day when Israel will finally see Jesus—the One they pierced—and will mourn and repent.
God promises to pour out on them a Spirit of grace and prayer (12:10).
That same Spirit is at work in us now—drawing us to repent, to pray, and to cling to Jesus.
This, to me, is the beautiful heartbeat of these chapters:
Because Jesus was pierced, rejected, and condemned for us, we now live under the covering of His grace.
We can run to Him in every need, trusting His promise to strengthen, save, restore, and hear us.
When He whistles, we come running—because He alone has all we need. 🕊️
⸻
💡 Lesson for Me
God calls me to run to Him—not as a last resort but as my first response.
He is both my Cornerstone and my Tent-Peg—my firm foundation and my secure anchor.
If He could gather and restore a rebellious nation, He can surely restore what has been lost in my own heart and home.
I can trust His 🙌 grace to hold me steady and His Spirit to lead me.
⸻
📝 Application Questions
1.In what small, everyday problem do I usually scramble first instead of running to Jesus?
2.How can I begin to pause and pray before I plan or fix?
3.Which promise in these chapters (10:1, 10:6, 12:10) do I need to cling to today?
4.Where have I seen God restore what I thought was lost—faith, joy, courage, or purpose?
5.What does it mean to me personally that Jesus is the Cornerstone, Tent-Peg, and Bow for battle?
⸻
🙏 Prayer
Lord Jesus,
thank You for being my Cornerstone—steady beneath my feet;
my Tent-Peg—holding me secure in Your love;
my Bow—giving me victory in the battles I face.
Forgive me for the times I run first to my own plans or to people instead of coming to You.
Teach me to pause, to seek You, and to trust that You already know what I need.
Pour out on me the same Spirit of grace and prayer You promised to Israel.
Help me to keep looking to You, the One who was pierced for me.
Amen.
⸻
✍️ Journaling Reminder
Take a few quiet moments to sit with Jesus.
Ask Him:
“Lord, what do You want me to trust You with today instead of trying to fix it on my own?
Where do You want to strengthen or restore me?”
Write down what He puts on your heart—any promises, instructions, or encouragement—so you can return to it and keep walking in it.