“Then Zerubabbel…Joshua…and the whole remnant of the people obeyed the voice of the LORD their God and the message of the prophet Haggai, because the LORD their God had sent him. And the people feared the LORD.” (Haggai 1:12)
I love that the people obeyed.
They repented and began to finish the main reason they were sent back to Jerusalem: rebuilding Temple. I’m sure drought in place of rain and holes in their purses helped them along the right course. It often takes painful consequences in my life, too.
I appreciate that God wasn’t pretending the people didn’t have legitimate needs; He knew they did. He was asking them to prioritize His Work first. The rest would follow.
Sounds a lot like the command to “seek first His Kingdom and His Righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well.”
What deception is easy for you to buy into when struggling to put Kingdom Work and Kingdom Righteousness first? Something I’m doing just this week in an area: find three verses of Truth that speak into that pretense that is robbing you of life and joy and purpose. Say those verses over and over until Truth is more powerful and more life-giving and more experientially real than the ugly lie.
For:
Repentance. Obedience. But one more reason for seeking hard after His Work – my favorite:
“Then Haggai, the LORD’s messenger, gave this message of the LORD to the people:
‘I am with you,’ declares the LORD.
So the LORD stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel…and the spirit of Joshua…and the spirit of the whole remnant of the people. They came and began to work on the house of the LORD Almighty, their God…” (Hag. 1:13-14a)
What we won’t do to know He’s with us. What balm that is to us, to our hearts. What courage it gives and willingness to face opposition.
He is everything.
And if He is with us?
It makes it all worth it.
And the people feared the LORD…and began to work on the house of the LORD Almighty, their God.