Not by might + Zechariah 4:6 Bible Verse Coloring Page

"Then he said to me, "This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the LORD of hosts. 7 Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain. And he shall bring forward the top stone amid shouts of 'Grace, grace to it!'" 8 Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 9 "The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also complete it. Then you will know that the LORD of hosts has sent me to you. 10 For whoever has despised the day of small things shall rejoice, and shall see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel. "These seven are the eyes of the LORD, which range through the whole earth." [Zechariah 4:6-10 ESV]

Today is Martin Luther King Jr. day here in the States. We're remembering the great task Dr. King felt called and equipped by God to do, the task that demanded his all. The right man in the right place at the right time. 

I learned this week (from this account) that Dr. King was in Memphis when he was murdered only because there had just been a violent protest there. City sanitation workers were fed up of working conditions that were both sub-human and dangerous. Dr. King's policy was to always go back and stage a peaceful protest once there had been a violent one. 

The night before his murder, he gave a speech at the Mason Temple in Memphis. Behind him, emblazened on a sign, was today's coloring page verse: "Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, Saith the LORD of HOSTS" (see image below).

Image: thecivilrightsmuseum.org

This verse is from Zechariah 4, an account of a vision of Zechariah, the prophet, containing a message for another man--Zerubbael--who was given the God-sized task of rebuilding the temple in Jerusalem after the exile. 

There was opposition to the project and much of the work probably seemed like "the day of small things," far removed from the glorious day the "top stone" would be set in place (4:10).

No wonder those in the middle of the Civil Rights movement found hope here.

Don't you think we can find hope here too, no matter the bigness or smallness of our calling?

Hope that accomplishment rests on the work of the Spirit, not our own strength.

Hope that mountains turn into plains before the LORD.

Hope that God, the Lord of hosts, with an army at His command, has His eyes on us (and the whole earth).

Hope that even small things can be built into SOMEthing bigger.

Between the days of small things and the day of the top stone, faithful work in the Spirit and unrelenting hope in the Lord of hosts will be required of us.

I need the reminder today that my task depends on my Jesus, not on me. He is up to it, though I am not. He is committed when I am ready to give up. 

Today's printable Bible verse coloring page is from Zechariah 4:6(b). You can download your page HERE or by clicking on the image below!*

PRAYING the Word
We put all our hope in the power of your Spirit to do what you have called us to. We put no confidence in our flesh and our own abilities (Philippians 3:3; Psalm 71:5). Thank you that you are always faithful, always strong, always with us.

QUESTIONS to consider:

1. Do you feel like everything depends on you and what you can do? How does that feel?
2. Do you act as if everything depends on you? How has that worked out for you?
2. What do you need to hope in God for today?

*I'm so happy for you to enjoy my coloring pages and printables for your personal (not commercial) use! Use for Bible studies, church groups or events, and Sunday school classes are all fine! If you're in doubt, I'm happy to answer any questions. All artwork and photos are copyright Marydean Draws. If you share this, you're awesome (!), and as a courtesy,  please link back to this post and not the PDF file. Thank you!!

Scripture is from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

If you like this, you can get these posts in your inbox by signing up HERE!