Zechariah 2:11 “Many nations will be joined with the Lord in that day and will become my people. I will live among you and you will know that the Lord Almighty has sent me to you.”

You couldn’t ask for a more definitive statement that God doesn’t limit His love and acceptance to the Jews. This verse and the one before it have been nicely set to music in Japanese, and I naturally have translated that into English. (In a case like this, of which there are several, it’s not so much a matter of translation as of rearranging the words so they fit the meter.) It’s a catchy, rhythmic tune, and it’s not unusual for me to find myself singing it in my heart as I’m out walking. God is here telling us to rejoice, and we should delight to obey! It’s important to notice why we are to rejoice: God is going to come to us and live, that is, make His home and remain, with us. Actually, He has now done that in Christ Jesus our Lord, so we have no excuse not to rejoice! This is why, and how, people have sung to the Lord even as they have been martyred. There was an instance of that just recently in Nigeria, which has had a horrific number of martyrs in recent years. A woman was horribly abused and then hacked to death, and the reports are that she sang to the Lord until she died. That sort of thing is possible only by a supernatural awareness of the presence of God, but we have records of such in the Bible as well. If you think about it, this leaves us no excuse for pity parties! As Jesus told us so clearly, “In this world you will have trouble, but take heart, for I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) Coming back to this verse, I would guess that the vast majority of the people who read what I am writing are Gentiles, which means we are among the “many nations” mentioned here. That gives us all the more reason to rejoice, because we have been included by faith in the family of Abraham, and that’s amazing!

Of course, I have committed my life to adding the nation of Japan to the list, so this certainly applies to me. Interestingly, over the past 41 years I have baptized not only Japanese, but people from America, Canada, Korea, Jamaica, and Honduras. At one point I even resented, foolishly enough, having so many non-Japanese active in this church! Frankly, drawing Japanese into the Kingdom remains a real challenge, but there are signs that we may have several in the near future, and that’s exciting. Whether that happens or not, I’m still to rejoice, because God certainly dwells among us, and that is worth celebrating indeed.

Father, thank You for Your incredible grace. Thank You for Your Spirit, who indeed indwells us and causes Christ to be formed in us. (Galatians 4:19) May I rest, relax, and rejoice in You, just as You have told me to do, so that all who see me may know that You are with me, and desire to welcome You into their own hearts. Thank You. Hallelujah!