Haggai 2:1-9 (Message)
On the twenty-first day of the seventh month, the Word of God came through the prophet Haggai: “Tell Governor Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and High Priest Joshua son of Jehozadak and all the people: ‘Is there anyone here who saw the Temple the way it used to be, all glorious? And what do you see now? Not much, right?
4-5 “‘So get to work, Zerubbabel!’—God is speaking.
“‘Get to work, Joshua son of Jehozadak—high priest!’
“‘Get to work, all you people!’—God is speaking.
“‘Yes, get to work! For I am with you.’ The God-of-the-Angel-Armies is speaking! ‘Put into action the word I covenanted with you when you left Egypt. I’m living and breathing among you right now. Don’t be timid. Don’t hold back.’
6-7 “This is what God-of-the-Angel-Armies said: ‘Before you know it, I will shake up sky and earth, ocean and fields. And I’ll shake down all the godless nations. They’ll bring bushels of wealth and I will fill this Temple with splendor.’ God-of-the-Angel-Armies says so.
8 ‘I own the silver,
I own the gold.’
Decree of God-of-the-Angel-Armies.
I own the gold.’
Decree of God-of-the-Angel-Armies.
9 “‘This Temple is going to end up far better than it started out, a glorious beginning but an even more glorious finish: a place in which I will hand out wholeness and holiness.’ Decree of God-of-the-Angel-Armies.”
The 9th verse in the KJV is the well known scripture I mentioned, "The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, saith the Lord of hosts: and in this place will I give peace, saith the Lord of hosts."
For anyone that has ever had to start your life over, experienced what seemed to be a major setback, or an extremely painful loss, I want you to read these next few lines VERY CAREFULLY!
Think back to what you feel was the best time of your life. Go ahead..... you have permission to really think on it. Remember how happy you felt? Remember how well you were doing? Relish that good feeling for just a moment.
Now look at today. Are you in a "not very much" stage? Do you wonder why God would bless you so, and then allow you to lose it...especially through no fault of your own? Seems unfair, huh? I know...I've been there. I wondered how God could allow my marriage to fail when I worshipped Him so completely and did everything in my power to please Him and Him alone. I'm not claiming I was perfect, but I had a heart that loved God, so I did the very best I could to walk uprightly before Him. Yet, I lived through a long and HARD "not very much" season.
Now, its VERY easy to get depressed when going through a "not very much season", BUT if you continue reading, God assures us that this season is but for a moment! (re-read verses 4-9)
IT IS TIME TO GET TO WORK! GOD IS SPEAKING! PUT INTO ACTION THE PROMISES HE WHISPERED TO YOU WHEN HE DELIVERED YOU OUT OF YOUR MISERABLE PLACE!!!
Before you know it, God will shake up your surroundings! He will give you wealth! He already owns it all anyway! That good place you thought about a moment ago will not be able to compare to glory of the place you are about to walk into! After all He has already done for you, think about how much greater He is going to have to do to top what He has already done! You shall have a glorious ending and God will grant you wholeness and holiness!!!
I don't know about anyone else, but I get excited everytime I think on this! God has done some miraculous things for me in the past, but the best miracles are in front of me! My longing for former glory is over, today I press towards tomorrow's glory, and tomorrow I will press towards the following day's glory! Everyday is a new opportunity to move closer to my glorious destiny! Make today the last day you long for the old (house, man/woman, job, car, etc...)! Your future holds more promise than your past ever could! Stop dreaming of what could have been, and start expecting what is to come! You can't drive forward looking at what's behind you! Likewise, you can't expect to LIVE in your future glory while yearning for what was only meant to be for a season!
Otescia R. Johnson
