Scripture

“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.”

Observation

The Lord will make Jerusalem like an intoxicating drink that makes the nation stagger when they come to besiege it. He will cause riders to panic. Judah will know victory in the Lord.

Then He will pour out a spirit of grace and prayer on the people of Jerusalem. They will look on the Lord whom they have pierced, and they will weep in repentance.

Application

To be touched by the Holy Spirit, to receive an outpouring, is an awesome experience. it is as if we are united powerfully with the heart of the Lord.

Here the Holy Spirit promises that a pouring out of the Spirit of grace and prayer will take place. Sometimes we need the grace of the Holy Spirit to pray as we should, to intercede with power for a pressing need.

This passage describes a solemn atmosphere of prayer. The people of Jerusalem come to a deep place of grief when they recognise that they have pierced the Lord. A spirit of grief and repentance overlays the grace and prayer.

This kind of assembly is sometimes called a “solemn assembly.” People gather in sorrow and repentance rather than in joy and celebration.

With the Lord, joy always comes in the morning, but sometimes we must pass through a long, dark night of the soul to get there.

Prayer

Lord, I recognise that my sins pierced your son. Please help me to repent honestly and thoroughly. Amen.