Get moving!

“Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your panelled houses, while this house remains a ruin?" Haggai 1.4

Despite its brevity, the book of the prophet Haggai packs a powerful punch. It is addressed to the returning exiles who, in 538 BC, were commissioned by the Persian emperor, Darius, to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple. When work stalled, due to local opposition, Cyrus' successor, Darius, renewed the mandate - in 520 BC, the year Haggai delivered his prophecy.

It would appear that the Israelites were behaving like the proverbial caged monkey who, when confronted by an open door, preferred the familiarity of the cage which had become home: better the devil you know... But we were made for freedom and for faith. When the opportunity arises, God calls us to sally forth and live in the fulness of that freedom and faith, imploring others likewise to abandon their cages.

Praise God for preparing his people, through his prophet Haggai, to hear the invigorating, exhilarating call of Christ - to freedom from sin and life eternal. And for sending the Holy Spirit so that - however weak, exhausted, dispirited we may feel - we have the power, wisdom and vision to respond...