Kind and Comforting Words – Leave Room for God

“And the Lord spoke kind and comforting words to the angel who talked with me.” - Zechariah 1:13

Sometimes my struggle hasn't been whether God can do something, but just whether He will.  It becomes difficult to trust that He will act since we don’t know if He will. When a prayer is seemingly unanswered, we fall back on what we know, that our God is all-knowing, kind, and knows what is best for us. And that can mean He doesn't act because it's what is best for our current situation. Even though I can reason this out, it does leave me in a place of discouragement sometimes.

The verse above is a beautiful look into the character of our God. I believe the Lord wants to speak kind and comforting words to us.

There is an encouraging look at the heart of God and what He has already done in Zechariah 8:1-8.

Then another message came to me from the Lord of Heaven’s Armies: “This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: My love for Mount Zion is passionate and strong; I am consumed with passion for Jerusalem! “And now the Lord says: I am returning to Mount Zion, and I will live in Jerusalem. Then Jerusalem will be called the Faithful City; the mountain of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies will be called the Holy Mountain. “This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: Once again old men and women will walk Jerusalem’s streets with their canes and will sit together in the city squares. And the streets of the city will be filled with boys and girls at play. “This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: All this may seem impossible to you now, a small remnant of God’s people. But is it impossible for me? says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. “This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: You can be sure that I will rescue my people from the east and from the west. I will bring them home again to live safely in Jerusalem. They will be my people, and I will be faithful and just toward them as their God.

This prophecy came to pass when Israel became a nation on May 14, 1948. For all of our lives, we have seen these verses fulfilled. Yet, for the remnant of Israel at the time of this prophecy, it was a long way off. Surely, they thought it was impossible.

But God does speak "kind and comforting words" to us, and as we look at His character, we need to trust Him expectantly. 

“Old men and women, kids playing in the streets" are images I saw with my own eyes when I visited Israel many years ago.  It has happened.  God did act, can act, and does act.  He does do the impossible.  I want to leave room for God to move how He wants to move and to expect it.

I’m not sure where it is from, but the following article articulates this better than I can: