Playing in the Streets
Photo by Avel Chuklanov on Unsplash
When was the last time you played in the streets? What does it mean to have the privilege and blessing to play in the streets?
There is safety and security in a neighborhood where you can play in the streets. There is a peace and a soundness of mind when we feel we can allow our children to play in the streets.
In the days when God’s people, the Israelites, were threatened by the Babylonians and exiled to a hostile land, God promised salvation and restoration for his people.
God promised he would allow the Israelites the safety, the security, and the peace they needed to live a full and worry-free life, where they could harmoniously grow old and sit and watch the children play in the streets.
God spoke through the Prophet Zechariah, saying, “Thus says the Lord of hosts: Old men and old women shall again sit in the streets of Jerusalem, each with staff in hand because of great age. And the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in its streets…Thus says the Lord of hosts: Behold, I will save my people from the east country and from the west country, and I will bring them to dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. And they shall be my people, and I will be their God, in faithfulness and in righteousness.” (Zechariah 8:4-8, ESV).
God promised peace, laughter, and joy for his chosen, saved, beloved, and restored people. God was going to deliver his people from their enemies and from his judgement, and God was going to restore his people to their place—to their beloved home, and to his perfect peace.
God was reclaiming his people for himself. In God’s faithfulness and in God’s righteousness, he was restoring his people to the city of God where they could once again experience the security and the peace of their dwelling.
May we experience the security, presence, and peace of God as we once again play in the streets—resting in God’s salvation, restoration faithfulness, and righteousness.
In Christ alone, Robbie
A Prayer For The Peace Of The World: “Almighty God, from whom all thoughts of truth and peace proceed: Kindle, we pray, in the hearts of all people the true love of peace, and guide with your pure and peaceable wisdom those who take counsel for the nations of the earth; that in tranquility your kingdom may go forward, till the earth is filled with the knowledge of your love; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.” (#28, Book of Common Prayer, 2019).
Photo by Avel Chuklanov on Unsplash
