Zechariah 9:12 Return to your fortress, you prisoners of hope;
    even now I announce that I will restore twice as much to you.

This chapter is most famous for verse 9, which was fulfilled on Palm Sunday as Jesus entered Jerusalem, but I have always liked this verse as well. Different translations render this as “prisoners of hope” or “prisoners who have hope.” Not being a Hebrew scholar I can’t say which is more accurate, but it would seem strange for hope to be the imprisoning agent. Regardless of that point, we are being told to “return to our fortress.” The Bible speaks many times of God being our fortress, and I am very comfortable with that being the meaning here. The promise of a double restoration is a good one, but we have to return to our fortress for it to happen. When we get in trouble of various sorts we are quick to search for remedies, but the ultimate answer is always to turn to God. That doesn’t mean to be passive, because God often has specific things He wants us to do, but it does mean acknowledging that He is our Source, our Supply, and in Him we have everything we need. Sometimes that doesn’t look like everything our flesh wants, as in Paul’s famous entreaty about his “thorn in the flesh,” (2 Corinthians 12:7-10) but as God told him, His grace is really all we need. This verse also brings to mind Jesus’ promise to His disciples that anything they gave up for Him would be multiplied to them. (Matthew 19:29) There, it doesn’t just say “double,” it says “100 times as much”! God is never at a loss for anything we need, but we have to return to Him to get it. We often fail to recognize when and how we are drifting from God, and sometimes He has to put us in a tight spot to get us to realize it. However, that’s never out of spite, but always out of love. After all, He delights to give us His Kingdom! (Luke 12:32)

This is something God has had to teach me repeatedly, but I think I’ve got a fairly good hold on it now. God has every resource in the universe at His disposal, and He’s my Daddy! That doesn’t mean I’m to presume on Him like some spoiled brat, but it does mean I’m never to be anxious about anything. There are a LOT of scriptures that say that! He has told me personally to rest, relax, and rejoice in Him, so my only concern is to be careful not to drift from Him, mentally, emotionally, or spiritually. He is indeed my Fortress, and when I am resting in Him, absolutely nothing can get to me! My biggest issue is the little things, ironically enough, that get under my skin in one way or another. I’ve got to be on my guard against such things, and walk in consistent humility.

Father, thank You for this reminder. I let little things irritate me all too often! May I be so grounded in You that those things bounce off without penetrating, so that I may consistently show the face of Christ to all around me, for their blessing and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!