| Day 500: Read today's devotional on Bible Gateway. A Future VictoryThis message concerning the fate of Israel came from the Lord: . . ."On that day I will make the clans of Judah like a flame that sets a woodpile ablaze or like a burning torch among sheaves of grain. They will burn up all the neighboring nations right and left, while the people living in Jerusalem remain secure. "The Lord will give victory to the rest of Judah first, before Jerusalem, so that the people of Jerusalem and the royal line of David will not have greater honor than the rest of Judah. On that day the Lord will defend the people of Jerusalem; the weakest among them will be as mighty as King David! And the royal descendants will be like God, like the angel of the Lord who goes before them! For on that day I will begin to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. "Then I will pour out a spirit of grace and prayer on the family of David and on the people of Jerusalem. They will look on me whom they have pierced and mourn for him as for an only son. They will grieve bitterly for him as for a firstborn son who has died. The sorrow and mourning in Jerusalem on that day will be like the great mourning for Hadad-rimmon in the valley of Megiddo."
(Zechariah 12:1, 6-11) ReflectZechariah's prophecy describes a great future battle against Jerusalem. Some say it is Armaggedon, the last great battle on earth. Those who oppose God's people will not prevail forever. Eventually, evil, pain, and oppression will be abolished once and for all. The promise of the pouring out of "a spirit of grace and prayer" (Zechariah 12:10) foreshadows the Holy Spirit's coming at Pentecost, fifty days after Jesus' resurrection (Acts 2). It is this Spirit who convicts us of sin, reveals to us God's righteousness and judgment, and helps us as we pray. "The Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don't know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words" (Romans 8:26). RespondThere are some days when we feel full of anger, frustration, fear, or other negative emotions, instead of joy and peace—the fruit of the Spirit. Consider what "fills" you today. Ask God to fill you with his Spirit. Experience his peace and joy. | 
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