Zechariah 9:9-12 (NRSV)
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Verse 9Rejoice greatly, O daughter Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter Jerusalem! Lo, your king comes to you; triumphant and victorious is he, humble and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. Verse 10He will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the war horse from Jerusalem; and the battle bow shall be cut off, and he shall command peace to the nations; his dominion shall be from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth. Verse 11As for you also, because of the blood of my covenant with you, I will set your prisoners free from the waterless pit.
Verse 12Return to your stronghold, O prisoners of hope; today I declare that I will restore to you double.
Devotion
In the United States, we celebrate our nation's government by and for the people. Yet peace among nations eludes us and the world. We are in two wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Recently, Egypt, Tunisia and Libya have struggled for a government of their own choosing. When nations fight, all of God's creation-people, land and animals-suffer. It is our duty to strive for peace and justice for all of God's creation. Sometimes governments succeed, but frequently they fail. Zechariah reminds us that ultimately human governments cannot give peace through weapons, or at all. The prisoners of war are freed by One who does not rule over us, but humbly moves among us through wind and water, body and blood. Today, the cup of peace seems half full. Christians live and work in hope until God's peace reigns among all nations-from sea to shining sea.
Prayer
Almighty God, bring peace among nations. Protect those who live and work in warring areas, and grant us peace in our homes and our hearts. Amen.