Zechariah 1:6
But my words and my statutes, which I commanded my servants the prophets, did they not take hold of your fathers? and they returned and said, Like as the LORD of hosts thought to do unto us, according to our ways, and according to our doings, so hath he dealt with us.
The messages to which this verse belongs were given while the returned exiles were rebuilding the temple amid uncertainty and anxiety. Zechariah's messages in this period came after Haggai's last recorded message. They were given to sustain and encourage the workers when the future looked dark. They did this by keeping God's purpose before the workers. They did this by revealing God's compassion and love.
God's words and His statutes, which He commanded through His servants the prophets, took hold of the fathers, for He dealt with them according to their ways and according to their doings, just as He had warned. And they returned and acknowledged that what they suffered was exactly what the Lord of hosts had purposed to do to them.