“… take courage;’ declares the Lord, ‘and work; for I am with you’ declares the Lord of hosts. . . . My Spirit is abiding in your midst; do not fear!’” Haggai 2:4-5
Do you feel you work hard, yet see very little fruit? Do you feel as if you put your hard-earned wages in a purse with holes?
That’s how the returned exiles of Israel felt during the time of Zerubbabel. They were oppressed by their neighbors and barely scraped by. They would sow much, but harvest little. God, through Haggai, declared, “You look for much and bring home little because My house lies desolate” (1:9).
God’s house, or His temple, refers to His presence. They lacked fruitfulness because they needed His presence.
Israel had returned from exile with a commission to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem. They had begun with joy, but pressure from the culture around them and from the struggle to survive stopped the work. Years passed in fruitless existence.
Each of us has a commissioning to build God’s presence in our lives. Have we allowed the pressure from our culture and the struggle of day-to-day living stop that work? How many weeks, months, years have we lived in fruitless existence?
Through Haggai, God stirred up the spirit of the people to continue the work of building the temple. Their enemies did all they could to stop them. But God was with them. He encouraged them three times (2:1-5). God promised He would bless them with fruitfulness (2:15-19).
This promise is for you and me too. I am stirred to continue the work of building God’s presence in my life. I know that means opposition will increase because my enemy will try all he can to stop me, but I am not afraid. God is with me. He will encourage me time and again when I need it. I’m going to keep my heart set on the fruitfulness He has promised me.
How about you? Are you stirred to continue building God’s presence in your life?