Then the Lord sent
this message through the prophet Haggai: “Why are
you living in luxurious houses while my house lies in ruins? My house lies in ruins, says
the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, while all of you are busy building your
own fine houses.”
—Haggai 1:3-4, 9b (NLT)
Do we get so busy with
our lives and our own perceived needs that we neglect what God desires? In this chapter, Haggai stirs the remnant of
God’s people to rebuild what has been lost—to place God’s wishes first before
everything else. They have re-built their own homes, but ignored rebuilding God’s
temple that was destroyed before the exile. They have done as they wished, and
reaped the negative benefit of their actions.
“You have planted much but harvest little,” Haggai imparts. “You eat but
are not satisfied. You drink but are still thirsty. You put on clothes but
cannot keep warm. Your wages disappear as though you were putting them in
pockets filled with holes” (Haggai: 1:6, NLT)! Isn’t this so like us? We build our
lives without surrendering to God’s will, and allowing Him to guide us. We fulfill
our desires without considering His wishes. We place our wishes above His own. And
we lose as life sifts us like sand.
At the same time that
Haggai was prophesying to the Jews in Judah, Ezra was a priest who led Judean
exiles living in Babylon back to their home city of Jerusalem. They returned to
re-build their own homes, but neglected the temple to worship the Lord who has rescued
them from exile! Many along with Ezra caught the vision of what Haggai had
stirred in Zerubbabel. The temple must be rebuilt. And with a call to place God
first, an awareness grew in the Judeans that they had not surrendered to the
loving God who had brought them home. Repentance burned in their hearts to rebuild
what their sin had destroyed. Work began to rebuild God’s house. This is the
same call and promise to us. If we place God first, we will understand where we
have failed and not allowed His will to change us.
When Tattenai, the
governor of the province, wrote to King Darius about what was happening in
Jerusalem, he informed him, “The king should know that we went to the
construction site of the Temple of the great God in the province of Judah. It
is being rebuilt with specially prepared stones, and timber is being laid in
its walls. The work is going forward with great energy and success. We asked
the leaders, ‘Who gave you permission to rebuild this Temple and restore this
structure?’ This was their answer: ‘We are the servants of the God of heaven
and earth, and we are rebuilding the Temple that was built here many years ago
by a great king of Israel (Ezra 5:8, 9, 11, NLT). When we follow God’s will, we will receive
His promise. And that promise responds to the vision that God has inspired—to
allow God to rebuild our lives as only He can.
Lord, help us to catch
the vision you desire. Your will and purpose come before our own. And when we
place you first, what you build in our lives will never be in vain, but resound
with your glory.
©
2018 Lynn Lacher
www.lynnlacher.com/2018/07/build.html
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