No Be by Power

For middle of night, one angel shake one man wake. No be to give am message with words, but to show am something: one lamp wey dem make with gold, wey dey burn bright, and two olive trees wey stand beside am.

Na around five hundred and twenty years before dem born Jesus. Some of di Jewish exiles don come back from Babylon to Jerusalem. Half of di city still be ruin. Years before, dem don lay di foundation of new temple. But people wey oppose dem cause wahala, money no reach, and di work stop. Grass grow cover di stones. Now two prophets, Haggai and Zechariah, dey urge di people make dem start again. Dia leader na Zerubbabel, di governor, wey come from di family of King David. And di work be like something wey no possible. Small, poor community. Big empire wey dey watch. And heap of rubble where di temple of Solomon stand before.

Zechariah don dey see visions. Dis time, di angel wey dey talk with am wake am, like person wey dey wake from sleep, and ask am: Wetin you see? Zechariah describe am. I see, and look, one lampstand wey be gold from top to bottom, with one bowl for im top, and seven lamps on top am, with pipes wey go each lamp. And two olive trees dey beside am, one for di right side of di bowl, and di other one for di left. Di lamps dey burn without anybody to fill dem. Di olive trees dey pour di oil straight enter. Zechariah confuse. Wetin be dis ones, my lord? And di angel talk: You no know wetin dem be? No, my lord.

Then di angel explain with one message for Zerubbabel. Dis na di word of di Lord to Zerubbabel: No be by might, no be by power, but by my Spirit, na so di Lord of hosts talk. No be by army. No be by money or strength. By di Spirit of God, like oil wey no dey ever finish. Then di angel talk to di obstacle imself. Who you be, you big mountain? For di front of Zerubbabel, you go become flat ground. Di mountain of wahala wey dey im front, dem go flatten am. And Zerubbabel go bring out di last top stone of di temple, as di people dey shout: Grace, grace to am!

Then another word come to Zechariah. Di hands of Zerubbabel don lay di foundation of dis house. Im hands go also finish am. And then one question for anybody wey wan look down on how small di work be. Because who don despise di day of small things? People go rejoice when dem see di plumb line, di weight wey builder dey use measure if wall straight, for Zerubbabel hand. Di seven lamps, na so di angel talk, na di eyes of di Lord, wey dey run go and come through di whole earth. God dey see everything. E never forget dis small building site.

Di book of Zechariah imself tell us when dis one happen: di second year of King Darius of Persia, about five hundred and twenty years before Christ. And di book of Ezra record how e end. Dem finish di temple for di sixth year of Darius, around five hundred and fifteen before Christ. Di hands of Zerubbabel really finish am, about four or five years after Zechariah see di lampstand.

No Be by Power. You go find am for Zechariah chapter four, verse one to ten. Di work of God no dey happen by force or by money, but by im Spirit. And di temple wey dose tired builders finish, even as e be like small thing, na di same temple where, five hundred years after, one old man wey dem call Simeon go carry baby Jesus for im arms. So see one question wey you go carry dey go. God tell Zerubbabel make e no look down on di day of small things. Which small beginning for your life God fit dey use?