Every warning from the Lord brings with it a promise. For some, reading the Old Testament is a struggle as they read about the self-induced consequences of people’s sin. They get caught up in the consequences and miss the promises. In those challenging prophecies are nuggets of great truth that a fully informed believer will discover.

As the promises of God were being offered to people who were living in rebellion, Zechariah wrote about their responsibility, “This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: Judge fairly and show mercy and kindness to one another. Do not oppress widows, orphans, foreigners, and the poor. And do not scheme against each other” (Zechariah 7: 9-10). This would be the proof that their hearts had truly changed.

When we realize we have lived in rebellion against the Lord, it can seem impossible to believe, from a human perspective, that God would still want to redeem and restore us. Yet redemption and restoration are always possible when the love of God is at work, “All this may seem impossible to you now, a small remnant of God’s people. But is it impossible for me? says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies” (8:6).

When we confess our sins and call out for God’s mercy, the Lord said of those who reconcile with Him, “They will be my people, and I will be faithful and just toward them as their God” (8:8).

Once our repentant hearts are humbled by His mercy, something else will take place that we did not realize in our struggle, “For I am planting seeds of peace and prosperity among you” (8:12). Only by coming back to God with a humble and repentant heart is personal peace and prosperity possible. Unbeknownst to us in the pain of our process of repentance, God was planting seeds in us that would reveal unexpected peace and prosperity in our future.

As a result of our coming back to God, something else will happen that will mark our lives, “I will rescue you and make you both a symbol and a source of blessing” (8:13).

A symbol is something we wear that identifies us. A source is what people will come to that offers them the same hope we carry. That symbol and source becomes the testimony of our lives that will draw people to the Lord.

All of these promises from God were offered before the Cross. Imagine what that means for us now that Jesus has completed His work of redemption and offers us a new life if we simply believe.