After the Holy Spirit spoke through Zechariah to assure the people that they were safe to rebuild the temple in a city without walls, He gave another impassioned invitation to those who had yet to come home. Since Babylon was the only place many of the Jews had known, a few of them had chosen to stay behind. Yet God continued to woo them, this time with a promise that He would supernaturally guard and bless them. In fact, to show the depths of His love and protection, He employed the powerful reminder that any person who touched His people was touching the “apple of His eye.” In other words, He would take any attack invoked against them personally, as if He Himself was being punched in the eye. While it’s hard to imagine that the Creator of the Universe has this much passionate affection for us, since He is the same yesterday, today, and forever, the promise contained in this passage still stands. As those reborn in Jesus Christ, we are His beloved, and He cares for us so much that anyone who harms us may as well be harming Him. Like a strong Father, He takes up our cause and defends us, swiftly coming to our aid whenever our minds, spirits, or bodies come under attack.

My friend, the Lord is your defender! When your heart found its home in Jesus Christ, He surrounded you with favor like a shield and hemmed you in with goodness. No weapon formed against you shall prosper because the God of angel armies has dispatched His Heavenly hosts to guard and protect your life. There is nowhere you can escape His watchful gaze, and any attack waged against you is also waged against Him. He loves you fiercely, and because He is with you, you can let go of fear and embrace life confidently and boldly. He holds every hour of every day in His Hands, and with His help, you can move mountains, pull down strongholds, and change the course of history for His Kingdom!