Spend time in prayer and silence with God asking Him to meet with you and speak to you.
Bible Reading
In the second year of King Darius, on the first day of the sixth month, the Word of the Lord came through the prophet Haggai to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah and to Joshua son of Jehozadak, the High Priest: This is what the Lord Almighty says: “These people say, ‘The time has not yet come for the Lord’s house to be built.'” Then the word of the Lord came through the prophet Haggai: “Is it time for yourselves to be living in your paneled houses, while this house remains a ruin?” Now this is what the Lord Almighty says, “Give careful thought to your ways. You have planted much, but have harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it.” This is what the Lord Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways. Go up into the mountains and bring down timber and build the house, so that I may take pleasure in it and be honored,” says the Lord.
– Haggai 1:1-8
Devotion
King Cyrus’ decree in 538 B.C. allowed the Jews to return from exile to Jerusalem. Because they were busy building their own homes, the people had still not finished building God’s temple. Haggai’s message was that the time had come to build the house of the Lord. Under the leadership of Zerubbabel and Joshua and with Haggai’s prodding the temple was rebuilt. The underlying issue here was that the people had prioritized building their own homes and had put rebuilding the temple on the back burner. Through the prophet Haggai, the Lord communicated the importance of completing the temple. The temple was the centerpiece of their corporate worship of Jehovah. They had forsaken their corporate worship and the result was that God withheld His hand of blessing from the people. The message is clear: “Get your priorities straight and My blessings will follow.”
The Big Question
So often, we get caught up in the busyness of life that we let our priorities get out of order. I have often counseled people that their priorities should be: God, Spouse, Children, Career. Yet when life gets busy, we tend to let God slip down on the list. What are your priorities? Is God at the top of your list? Have you allowed the busyness of life to squeeze out your God time? What can you do to ensure that God will always be the top priority in your life?
Conclude your time in prayer and silence reflecting on what God revealed to you today.