Week of Prayer, Day 2: A Vision for the Discouraged
— Meditation —
Picture this.
You’ve returned home after years of exile. The temple—the heart of your worship, the place where God once met you—is gone. Rubble. Ghosts of glory past. You pick up stone and timber, trying to rebuild what once was holy. But it’s hard. People are tired. Opposition grows. Years pass. The foundation sits untouched—the very sight of it a daily dose of discouragement.
You are Zerubbabel: the governor, the leader, the one they all look to. But you’re discouraged. You’ve run out of both steam and hope.
And then, seemingly out of nowhere, God gives you a vision.
That’s what we’re entering in Zechariah 4: a vision for a discouraged builder. It's a scene thick with mystery: lamps, oil, trees, a golden bowl. But rich in significance.
Before you read it, take a breath. Let yourself feel what Zerubbabel might’ve felt—tired, unsure, but suddenly met by God in a surprising way. Let this passage stir your imagination, and even more, your trust.
And the angel who talked with me came again and woke me, like a man who is awakened out of his sleep. And he said to me, “What do you see?”
I said, “I see a lampstand all of gold, with a bowl on the top of it, and seven lamps on it, with seven lips on each of the lamps that are on the top of it. And there are two olive trees by it, one on the right of the bowl and the other on its left…”
Then he said to me, “This is the word of Yahweh to Zerubbabel: Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says Yahweh of hosts. Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain. And he shall bring forward the final stone amid shouts of ‘Grace, grace to it!’ ”
Zechariah 4v1-7 (ESV)
— Devotional —
What do we do when we run headfirst into the wall of failure? Some of us try to bash through with sheer effort, often hurting ourselves and others. Others wail and complain with bitter resentment at those who succeeded. Some give up. That’s where Zerubbabel found himself.
But God didn’t leave him there.
God sent a vision through the prophet Zechariah:
An intricately designed golden lamp stands between two olive trees. The trees extend their branches toward the lamp, supplying it with a continual flow of oil (v12). The result? The lamps burn endlessly—without maintenance, without refilling. (You might recall Jesus’ parable of the five foolish women who didn’t bring enough oil for their lamps—a common problem in the ancient world.) But this vision shows the opposite: abundant light, continually burning, supernaturally sustained by living trees.
So what does it mean?
In temple worship, a lamp’s purpose was simple: it provided light. And throughout Scripture, light symbolizes the presence and glory of God. This beautiful, radiant lampstand is a vivid declaration: God is with Zerubbabel—more present than anyone might have guessed.
But what about the two olive trees?
Later, the angel reveals that they represent none other than Zerubbabel and Joshua (the high priest). Through their ongoing dependence on God, they become the very vessels through which divine oil flows. The angel even calls them “two sons of new oil” (v14)—people continually filled and empowered by the Spirit.
As strange as the vision might seem, its message is direct and clear—captured in verse 6: “Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord.”
In other words, don’t be discouraged when you run out of strength. You were never meant to finish the work on your own. The work can only be accomplished through the ongoing flow of God’s Spirit.
We know from history that Zerubbabel received the message loud and clear. He took up his tools and kept building.
And just four years later, the temple was finished.
— Prayer —
Take a moment to prayerfully engage with this prompt. It may feel a bit uncomfortable, because we’re going to use our imagination to reflect on the vision God gave to Zerubbabel. If that feels uneasy, that’s okay—take it at your own pace and do what feels comfortable for you.
Work through the steps below, allowing yourself to engage with the image in your mind as you go:
Consider where there may be a sense of discouragement or failure in your life right now.
Maybe it’s with a project, a relationship, a goal, or a sin struggle.
Bring that sense before God and speak to him honestly about it.Revisit the vision God gave to Zerubbabel—the golden lampstand, the olive trees, the oil flowing without end. Visualize it again.
Now reflect:
What would it look like for God’s light to shine brightly in your situation?
What if his presence flowed there, continually?
How would that shift your discouragement—or shape the choices in front of you?Turn those reflections into prayer.
Ask God to make this vision a reality by the power of his Spirit.
Name any lingering fears or struggles.
Then end with a prayer of trust—willing to follow wherever he leads.
[Pray out loud]
Holy Spirit, help me to know—really know—that everything I do is not by my might, or my power. But by your Spirit.
Amen.
