On Patrol

I saw at night, and behold, a man was riding on a red horse, and he was standing among the myrtle trees which were in the ravine, with red, sorrel and white horses behind him. Then I said, “My lord, what are these?” And the angel who was speaking with me said to me, “I will show you what these are.” And the man who was standing among the myrtle trees answered and said, “These are those whom the Lord has sent to patrol the earth.” So they answered the angel of the Lord who was standing among the myrtle trees and said, “We have patrolled the earth, and behold, all the earth is peaceful and quiet.” Then the angel of the Lord said, “O Lord of hosts, how long will You have no compassion for Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, with which You have been indignant these seventy years?” The Lord answered the angel who was speaking with me with gracious words, comforting words. (Zechariah 1:8-13)

The prophet Zechariah, in his vision, hears a heavenly discourse about the state of the earth. There is a report of peace and quiet, and there is a petition for divine compassion.

Perhaps some of us have experienced a similar plight: there is peace, and yet there is need. In such times, we can be assured that the court of Heaven is aware of our situations. We, like Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, are blessed to have a heavenly Petitioner speaking on our behalf. He is Jesus, the One who lives to intercede for us (see Hebrews 7:25).

We live as beneficiaries of the mystery: from a place not bound by Time, the needs of our time-bound lives are met. The resolution of our problems may not always occur in the way we expect, but we can rest knowing that our Lord has addressed our concerns according to His perfect will. My prayer is that, today, He will pour His reassurance into our hearts and renew in us His peace.

God is in control.