"You looked for much, and behold, it came to little. And when you brought it home, I blew it away. Why? Declared the LORD of hosts. Because of my house that lies in ruins, while each of you busies himself with his own house."
Haggai 1:9
Context behind this verse is that God is in the midst of stirring the hearts of the people that will start the process of building the foundation of his temple, which had been destroyed. The Israelites came out of their 70 year exile, as God promised they would. Now, they are supposed to rebuild his temple. But as with all things in life, there were some hiccups along the way.
I read this verse last night and it hit me like a gut punch to the ego. Just moments before, I settled in with my bible study homework, and a hot cup of tea. I debated even doing it because let's face it: I am a tired mom of two. Excuse? yes, but also a very real fact. (maybe that's an excuse for my excuse...ahhhh)
As I sat down and flipped through the pages, I begrudgingly resented the whole "Don't let the devil keep you away from your time in Gods word." "Blah blah blah," is what I thought in my mind -- but I knew in my spirit that I needed to get some work done, so I opened the Word and out came the voice of God to offer me a wake up call.
"Because of my house that lies in ruins, while each of you busies himself with his own house."
Maybe you're not like me at all, but I sure am good at making myself too busy.
I clean the kitchen, I play with my kids, I race off to school pick up and drop offs, I volunteer, I serve others, I serve myself, and I scroll... but when am I taking the wholehearted sacrifice of really serving my God? Of course, I am not saying that I should stop cleaning the house that God has given me, or stop investing in the children that he has entrusted me with. I am saying that I need to reset my mindset around making the time to be steadfast in the truth of Gods Word. It is not a chore -- it is a privilege.
At the time of this specific verse, Gods temple lay in ruins. Any effort to move forward with it seems to be hit with opposition. So, God sent Haggai to start stirring things up. If we fast forward to 2023 -- not a lot is different. We still get distracted. We still focus on our own "house" instead of Gods house. When I say WE I mean ME TOO.
Are we making the schedule of our day-to-day life out to be an idol? Or, idolizing the cleanliness of our home? Are we serving in various aspects of our lives with the desire to be seen and noticed by mere humans, do we want the glory for ourselves? Or, are we genuinely desiring to serve God in the stillness of our hearts, without the flashy lights and amped up hype from this society. Are we working to build God's Kingdom, or are we working on our own first?
I have been so distracted from my time in the Word. With back to school, and trying to find balance with my kids in this new routine. Not to mention some sleepless nights between night time potty training, and the bout of sickness that wrecked us last week. I've been sleeping in and neglecting the routine I once had of meeting with God in the early morning before my house came alive. And I can feel it. The disconnection within my spirit, the desire to come back to our meeting place but the excuses that hinder me from doing exactly what I know will bring me back to life.
At some point we must choose to wash our hands of our excuses, and start the process of rebuilding Gods temple. We have to break down our own ideas of glory and remind ourself that when we chose to walk with Christ -- we knew the cost: everything.
I don't want to be so fixated on myself and my little ideas that I am part of the problem for Gods temple not being built. I Don't want to miss out on the work party that is coming together to empower others to seek the truth of the Mighty God who moves mountains and stirs hearts for his good purpose. It's not about me, it's not about you -- it's about Him. You, and I are responsible for making the time to dig into the relationship that God has invited us to, and the only way we are going to get to know his Character is through his W O R D.
Be ready, because my prayer for you this week is that God "blows away" everything that you "bring home" that is not part of his plan for you. That he makes a way, where you have made no way, that he holds you accountable to the relationship you said you wanted with him. That he calls you out, like he did me, that he shines a light in the darkest corner of your soul -- that he washes your hands clean as your prepare to rebuild the temple of your God. And I am going to ask that you pray the same for me, so together we can start the work that he has called us to.
There's a Kingdom to build. And it's not ours.
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