Zechariah was a contemporary of Haggai, during the second year of Darius (Zechariah 1:1). He offered a series of visions of hope and challenge, and in the midst of these he issued God’s call to those Israelites who had not yet returned from Babylon to Jerusalem. Perhaps they had gotten used to life in Babylon, or perhaps they were afraid of the rigors of the long trip home. In God’s name, Zechariah declared: “I have spread you abroad like the four winds of heaven, says the Lord. Up, escape to Zion, you that live with daughter Babylon” (2:6).

It is the great ‘all-ye all-ye in come free,’ for those returning from captivity: after all the long years in exile, it’s time to come home. And the welcome includes others as well: “Many nations shall join themselves to the Lord on that day, and shall be my people; and I will dwell in your midst” (2:11). This will be a time of great celebration: “Sing and rejoice, O daughter Zion! For lo, I will come and dwell in your midst” (2:10).

We can see this same emotion recorded in Psalm 126. “When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dream. Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with shouts of joy; then it was said among the nations, ‘The Lord has done great things for them’ ” (Psalm 126:1-2).

At some deep level we are always aware that God is the one who has called us. This is even true on those days when we have nothing to base it on except a promise stated long ago. Yet we feel that knowledge in a different way when we have waited long and finally see the fulfillment being established before us: when our often-ragged faith has turned to fulfillment. Thus the day will come when “the Lord will inherit Judah as his portion in the holy land, and will again choose Jerusalem” (Zechariah 4:12); and when that happens, “you shall know” the truth of Zechariah’s message in a more experiential way (2:12).

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We trust in you, O Lord: in the dark days, in the days when we feel like we are in Exile, far from home, we trust in you. Grant us the courage to step out, when you call us to march on our way back to Zion: in the confidence that you will lead us home, and we will know that you have done so, when we get there.