We are all familiar with MAGA but the reality is that America cannot and will not be great again unless we focus on the Greatness of God and return to His Divine Order! God's greatness is a central theme in Christian theology, emphasizing His supreme authority, power, and unmatched qualities. In Psalm 145:3, it is stated, "Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom." This verse underscores God's incomparable greatness, indicating that His power and authority surpass human understanding. When I was a child in school, before every meal the whole class prayed this pray together: “God is great, God is good, let us thank Him for our food. By His hands we are fed. Give us Lord our daily bread. Amen.” We had prayer and Bible reading. In fact, when I was in elementary school, we had a representative come to the school with a project as a fund raiser. If we sold a certain number of framed pictures of Jesus, we would get a Bible. Also, the Coca Cola company gave us rulers with the Golden Rule: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” These things are forbidden in schools now. The systematic removal of God from schools and government has caused our nation to depart from the foundational covenant made by our forefathers declaring it as One Nation Under God. God cannot and will not bless what does not honor Him! This is America’s moment of choice. This is about America’s very survival. We have the opportunity to reverse this dangerous course and return America to its roots—of faith, family, and freedom. “Make America Great Again” isn’t just about returning to the past—it’s about choosing a future aligned with God’s eternal promises and defying the normal 250-year death cycle of civilizations.
God's greatness is not just a matter of size or strength but encompasses His wisdom, love, and faithfulness, as seen in passages like Romans 9:22, which speaks of His great patience, and Lamentations 3:22-23, which praises His great love and faithfulness. The idea of God's greatness is also reflected in His creation of the universe and all life within it. From the vastness of the cosmos to the intricate details of living organisms, His creative power and wisdom are evident. This is highlighted in Genesis 1:1, where it is written, "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth," showcasing His immense power and wisdom. Moreover, God's greatness is celebrated through various forms of worship, including hymns and songs. "How Great Is Our God" is a popular hymn that praises God's majesty and power, emphasizing His greatness beyond human comprehension. Understanding and acknowledging God's greatness leads to a profound sense of humility and awe, prompting believers to worship and adore Him. This is expressed in Psalm 150:2, which calls for praising God for His acts of power and surpassing greatness. Link to song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KBD18rsVJHk
The term "The Great I Am" refers to God as described in the Old Testament, particularly in Exodus 3:14, where God reveals Himself to Moses as "I AM WHO I AM." This name signifies God's self-existence, eternal nature, and faithfulness. It is used to denote His uniqueness and sovereignty over all creation. In John 8:58, Jesus states, "Before Abraham was born, I am!" This is seen as a direct claim of divinity, linking Jesus to the God of the Old Testament. The Greatness of God is always present among His people. God, let us see Your power, love, grace and justice—that all will know You are God!
After the Jewish people experienced exile in Babylon, King Cyrus of Persia (a biblical type of Trump) allowed 50,000 of them to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple under Zerubbabel, governor of Jerusalem. At the time, Zechariah, a prophet and priest of Israel, received several visions from the Lord. In one of those visions, God delivered this key message: “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the LORD of hosts” (Zechariah 4:6, ESV). In this period of Israel’s history, the prophets Zechariah and Haggai were both ministering. While Haggai encouraged the returned Jewish exiles in their work of rebuilding the temple, Zechariah urged them to repent of sin and renew their covenant with God. Spiritual renewal would be essential to their survival and worship of God once the temple was rebuilt.
Construction on the temple, which had been stopped by opposition from neighbors, resumed under the exhortation of Zechariah and Haggai. Zechariah experienced a series of night visions; in the fifth one, he saw a solid gold lampstand. Two olive trees provided the lampstand with its oil supply, which flowed through two golden pipes (Zechariah 4: 1-3). The key message of the vision is contained in the words of verse 6: “Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit.” The work of rebuilding the temple would only be accomplished by God’s Spirit and not by human might nor power.
In many places in the Old Testament, the Lord’s Spirit is represented by oil (Isaiah 61: 1-3; I Samuel 16:13). The abundant supply of oil in Zechariah’s vision is the Holy Spirit’s power, which would help Zerubbabel finish rebuilding the temple (symbolized by the large lampstand). The lampstand’s light signified that Israel, God’s covenant people, were to shine forth light and glorify God in the earth. Both in the Old and New Testament, God’s people are called to shine the light of God’s glory into all the world (Isaiah 60: 1-3; Matthew 5: 14-16). It is the great commission of every believer (Mt. 28: 19-20). Just as Zerubbabel would need to depend on the Spirit of the Lord to accomplish the work, so do Christians today. God’s people have no ability in themselves to shine the light of God’s truth to those walking in darkness.
The word for might in Zechariah 4:6 is often translated as “army,” “force,” “ability,” or “efficiency” and is associated with human resources. It also relates to financial means and can be connected with wealth. The term power implies purposeful force, firm resolve, dynamic strength, and resoluteness. Not by might nor by power—not by their own abilities, plentiful resources, or fierce determination—would God’s people build the temple and send God’s light into the world. Only by the Spirit of the Lord would their work and worship become a light broadcasting into all the earth (Acts 1:8; John 16: 7-15).
As the physical labor of rebuilding the temple was being done, a spiritual renewal was also taking place. Joshua, the high priest, and Zerubbabel were not to trust in financial resources or military prowess, but in the mighty power of God’s Spirit working through them: “It is not by force nor by strength, but by my Spirit, says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies. Nothing, not even a mighty mountain, will stand in Zerubbabel’s way; it will become a level plain before him! And when Zerubbabel sets the final stone of the Temple in place, the people will shout: ‘May God bless it! May God bless it!’” (Zechariah 4:4-7, NLT). When God calls us to a purpose, His Spirit fills and equips us to complete it (Acts 2: 17-18; John 3: 34; Ephesians 1: 8-20). As the apostle Paul learned, human weakness is no obstacle because God’s power is perfected in it: “That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12: 10). Our God-given work is guaranteed to be successful, not by human might or power, but by the guidance and empowering of God’s Holy Spirit poured into our lives like the oil that fueled Zechariah’s lampstand. In Hebrews 11: 33-34 believers are encouraged by these words concerning past saints empowered by God: “By faith they conquered kingdoms, administered justice, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became might in war, and made foreign armies flee.”
God seems to ask us to do some of the biggest things whenever we feel the most depleted and unqualified. This is how the Israelites felt under Zerubbabel as they faced returning from the Babylonian exile. God had given them the task of rebuilding the city, the walls, and the temple. But it wasn’t easy. They faced serious opposition from their neighbors. They wanted to give up and it was in this situation that God spoke through Zechariah to the returning exiles: “Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord Almighty.” This verse has been an encouragement to believers for years after. And it was even the lesson that the disciples would have to learn through the ministry of Jesus.
What does this verse mean and how do we apply it today? The words used there for “might” and “power” often point to military strength and human strength and ingenuity. Those were the two things the Israelites greatly lacked. But isn’t that where we often find ourselves? We lack resources, and so we assume that we either need to surrender this battle or labor to fill in what we lack. This is indeed where we are today in our nation. The last four years have drained us of strength and resources as we have dwelt with and continue to face challenges and tragedies on every hand. God reminded them that it is not through their resources that the project would be complete. It would be through His resources. When the LORD Almighty tells Zechariah, “But by my Spirit,” this should have evoked memories of both creation and the Exodus from Egypt and bondage. To combine these, the goal is that God’s presence would be manifest and serve as a light to His people. And it is a lesson we still need to learn today. It is not through our own strength or might that God’s presence will be given. Rather this happens through His Spirit that the light of the gospel will shine. What a tremendous comfort this is to us today that God isn’t asking us to shine our strength, He’s calling us to shine His.
God delights in upholding the weary and reviving the fainthearted. (Is. 40: 29-31) Our reservoir of emotional and physical energy may feel nearly drained, but God’s supply of spiritual stamina never runs out. Let us come to Him and His Word for the strength to carry on, and He will supply the power we need to traverse the rough terrain ahead. That’s His promise, and God always keeps His promises! When the outlook looks grim, Christ is our strength. When the circumstances seem volatile, Christ is our stability. When the future appears foreboding, Christ remains our hope. The strength of Christ is both inexhaustible and immeasurable as His Spirit dwells within each of us who trusts Him as Savior! Let us claim the promise of Psalm 18: 18-19 for our nation and pray without ceasing. “The enemies confronted me in the day of calamity. But the LORD was my stay. He rescued me, because He delighted in me.”
God instructs us to pray for our leaders and those in authority. Join me in this prayer for our President and those God puts in authority to serve: “Grant him spiritual wisdom and revelation in knowing Jesus. May the eyes of his heart be enlightened, so that he may know what is the hope of His calling, what is the richness of God’s glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is His exceedingly great power toward those who keep trusting Him—in keeping with the working of His mighty strength. Amen.” (Ephesians 1: 17-19)
Personal notes: God sounded an alarm this week concerning the extreme decline and quality of care in the facilities for our Veterans that has occurred in the last four years. May God intervene and meet the mental, physical, spiritual and emotional needs of those who have served this nation. In 1 Samuel 16:7 Samuel was tasked with anointing a new king, he initially favored Eliab due to his impressive physical appearance. However, God corrected Samuel’s judgment, highlighting that God’s evaluation is based on the inner condition of a person’s heart, not their outward appearance. God gave me a first-hand illustration of this in a video of Trump’s midnight visit to a Veterans facility during his first term. May God touch you as He did me: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HAdorDUxNhs
On Sunday, God directed me to Jonathan Cahn’s message broadcasted 5 days before entitled “The Return of Trump: The Mystery and the Future” that echoes last week’s From the Throne and connects to this one completed on Saturday. God is Great—God is Good and He can make America Great Again! Jonathan’s message is powerful and prophetic! Watch and be blessed!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tK8rNwQ2Vzs&list=TLPQMDIwMjIwMjVi6GK3TI_JuA&index=2