And the
LORD stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah,
and the spirit of Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the spirit of
all the remnant of the people; and they came and worked on the house of the
LORD of hosts, their God. Haggai 1.14
I note the sequence
of events in this opening chapter of Haggai. Firstly, the people build luxury
accommodation for themselves but neglect the house of God. God upbraids them
for this, reminding them how badly they have suffered because of their neglect
of Him. He challenges them to get on with building a house for Him. They
respond positively (v12).
And God comes to the party! Following their willing
response to Him, He “stirs up” their spirit. They come to Him and work on the
house that they will dedicate to Him.
The pattern I
see here may not necessarily be a regular way in which God works, but I sense
it is one I can be encouraged by.
I further
sense that the Father is speaking to me saying something like: “If
your heart is for me I will look out for you and guide you. When you stray I
will show you the error of your ways. I will invite you to return into
communion with me. As you show me your willingness, I will further respond by
stirring up your spirit. I will bring you into closer union with my Holy
Spirit. We will walk together, and rejoice together.”
Lord God, Loving Father,
I thank You for those words. I really need to hear
them right now. Forgive me when I stray. Bring me back, please. Remind me, if
You will, and open the way for me to go forward in You. I confess my
waywardness and ask You to forgive me. Lead me on in deeper communion with You
and in harmony with Your creation, in Jesus’ name I ask. Amen.
My book “God Talk” is available through major
Internet booksellers.
A taste of the book's content can be seen in
the You Tube clip
(Search: Peter Francis - "God Talk").
No comments:
Post a Comment