The Lord of Hosts says this:”Old men and women will again sit along the streets of Jerusalem, each with a staff in hand because of advanced age. The streets of the city will be filled with boys and girls playing in them.” Zechariah 8:4-5 HCSB
I just watched a documentary news report on the what takes place in our country during Spring Break. Many college students descend on the beaches in Florida to celebrate their mid-semester break from classes. For years Spring Break has been known as a big party with excessive drinking and even some drugs. It seems from the news report that the partying has been taken to a whole new level. There is binge drinking that starts early in the morning and goes all night long. Nudity has been reported as well as couples engaging in intimate behavior on the beach. Hard drugs are being sold and girls are being taken advantage of. Some cities have passed new laws to try to curb the partying and drunkenness, but it seems to only be getting worse each year.
These verses in Zechariah describe a much different scene when the people of Israel will return to Jerusalem from the four corners of the earth. There will be peace and serenity. Older people will sit along the streets similar to people today sitting on the front porch, rocking in the rockers or swinging on the porch swing, enjoying some good conversation and the beauty of God’s world. Additionally, boys and girls will be playing in the streets just like when I was a boy and enjoyed playing games with the neighbors in my backyard.
Challenge: How we all long for a place that is peaceful and calm, a place where we feel safe and secure. I wonder what this world is coming to. It seems to be on track straight to Satan. I don’t even want to imagine what Spring Break will be like when my grandchildren get to be college-aged. Pray that our country will change and return to the morals and values that we find in God’s Word.