Sometimes when it comes to the things of the Lord, there are matters that are often difficult to explain.
Rather than having an adequate, detailed explanation, what a person innately knows within is often chalked up to a feeling… a sense… a knowing… something that says, “I know that I know that I know.”
That’s precisely how I feel as I sit here typing the very words you will soon be reading.
I truly believe, dear reader, that there is a window of grace that’s been opened since this pandemic began.
How long will it remain opened?
I’m not entirely sure.
But I do know that it’s imperative that we capitalize on this moment.
It’s time to rebuild what we’ve allowed to fall by the way side.
It’s time for humility to once again take precedent in the life of the believer.
It’s time to see that the gimmicks don’t work.
It’s time to unite together in our common need for the presence of God to be both in our corporate gatherings and upon our individual lives.
It’s time to seek the Lord for a greater outpouring of His Spirit.
When the Israelites returned from their captivity in Babylon, they weren’t burdened by the condition of the temple — the very place that was once filled with the glory of God and dedicated to the Lord… their very epicenter of worship.
Rather, they busied and concerned themselves with the rebuilding of their own houses (see Haggai 1:2-4).
They said to themselves, “It’s not TIME for the house of the Lord to be rebuilt.”
In other words, they didn’t see it as a priority.
They had completely lost the fear of the Lord.
And they did not immediately capitalize on their window of grace.
As a result, God put His words in the mouth of the prophet, Haggai — words that confronted their apathy and lack of reverence.
His message stirred up the spirit of the people and as a result, they began to rebuild.
The condition of the temple reveals how it is that we feel about the Lord.
It proves what we love and fear the most — ourselves or God.
In the new covenant, there’s two temples that we read about.
One is the individual believer (see 1 Corinthians 6:19).
The other is the corporate gathering of believers (see Ephesians 2:19-22).
The absence of the presence of God in our individual lives and corporate gatherings may be due to a lack of reverence for the Lord.
It may be that apathy has set in and that the heart that once burned with fire has become casual towards the One that used to make it race.
It could be that many are simply going through the motions and checking off their religious boxes.
Perhaps sin is readily tolerated.
Or maybe… just maybe… we have left our first love.
Whatever the case, the Lord is raising up voices like Haggai with messages that will once again stir up the spirit of the people as they become aware of the fact that the current level of glory we are experiencing isn’t enough.
We need the presence of God now more than ever.
We need to repent…
We need to humble ourselves…
And we need to pray.
We cannot allow this opportunity to pass us by.
God is pleading with us to respond and to persist in our asking, seeking, and knocking.
- Brian Connolly, Faith Like Birds
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