READING: Zechariah 5-11
I can only barely whistle . . . and then only with great effort . . . and even then for only a few seconds. I have no idea why I’ve never been able to do it, and I admit I’m envious of people who can. I have a buddy who whistles with perfection and who can seemingly call his dog from a mile away – and how I wish I could call my puppy the same way! For now, though, “Come, Max” just has to be sufficient.
I think about this silly story today because Zechariah 10 speaks of God’s calling His people from exile like a shepherd whistling for his sheep or a beekeeper signaling for his bees to swarm: “I will whistle and gather them because I have redeemed them; they will be as numerous as they once were. Though I sow them among the nations, they will remember me in the distant lands; they and their children will live and return” (Zech 10:8-9). In His appointed time, God would call His people back—and even they whose sin led them into exile in the first place would hear His voice. He would gather the redeemed, and they would remember Him.
We serve a sweet God who knows exactly where we are. He also knows how to capture our attention. And, He calls us to Himself with the whistle of love and grace. How I pray today that I will always hear His whistle clearly and run to Him!
PERSONAL REFLECTION: Are you in the exile of sin today? Are you hearing God’s whistle?
PRAYER: “God, let me hear You well.”
TOMORROW’S READING: Zechariah 12-14, Malachi 1-3