Readings for today: Haggai 1-2, Psalms 59
Be strong. In the face of all the challenges this world can bring. Be strong. When you’re disappointed and let down. Be strong. When you are anxious and afraid. Be strong. When life doesn’t go your way. Be strong. When you feel overwhelmed. Be strong. I love today’s words from Haggai. They are words for every generation. Words for every community of believers in every culture and place around the world. Words for those who are old and young, rich and poor, educated and lacking education, powerful and powerless, influential and marginalized, black, brown, or white. It doesn’t matter who you are or where you’ve come from or your background or life experience, God says, “I am with you.” I am with you in the midst of life. I am with you in the midst of all the challenges you face. I am with you in success and failure. I am with you in plenty and in want. I am with you in sickness and in health. I am with you to the end.
And what is the faithful response to God’s amazing promise? Work. Keep pressing in. Keep pushing forward. Keep working until the job is finished. And what is the job? For Zerubbabel and Joshua, it was the rebuilding of the Temple. For us, it is the work of evangelism and discipleship. Proclaiming the good news of the gospel to the whole world and teaching those who believe all God has commanded. This is a work that never ends. It is a work that demands our best effort and our best resources. It is a work that is worth doing because eternity is literally at stake. It is a work that will endure. A work that will last. A work that will become a monument in the heavens for all to see just as the work of the ancient Israelites would result in a Temple that would stand as a monument to God’s greatness and glory for all the nations to see.
Listen to Haggai’s words again and think about how they apply to your own life. Insert your name where it mentions Zerubbabel and Joshua. Don’t be afraid to claim these promises as your own. “Even so, be strong,____________— this is the Lord’s declaration. Be strong, ____________, high priest. Be strong, all you people of the land — this is the Lord’s declaration. Work! For I am with you, __________ — the declaration of the Lord of Armies. This is the promise I made to you, _____________, when you came out of Egypt, and my Spirit is present among you; don’t be afraid.’” For the Lord of Armies says this: “Once more, in a little while, I am going to shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land. I will shake all the nations so that the treasures of all the nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory,” says the Lord of Armies. “The silver and gold belong to me” — this is the declaration of the Lord of Armies. “The final glory of this house will be greater than the first,” says the Lord of Armies. “I will provide peace in this place” — this is the declaration of the Lord of Armies.” (Haggai 2:4-9 CSB) It’s amazing to think about. God shaking the heavens and the earth, the sea and dry land. God shaking the nations to fill His house with His glory. God promising that the final glory of His house will far eclipse the former glory of His house. This is the glory we are working towards as His people. This is the glory we will one day worship and dwell in when we stand before the Lord at the end of days.
Readings for tomorrow: Zechariah 1-4, Psalms 60