Give Careful Thought (#238 of 365+)

Cyrus the Great, a Persian emperor, conquered Babylon and released the Jews from captivity. When they returned home to Judea they immediately set about the work of rebuilding their
former lives. The first major projects were building individual houses and working the land. No longer did they work for masters who would clothe and feed them… They had nothing but the clothes on their backs and precious little resources. It was a very serious matter. They needed to take care of basic human needs like shelter, clothing, and food.

I imagine all the men and women were also concerned with security as well. They were probably paranoid that a raiding army would sweep through at any moment and they’d all be back in captivity. It must have taken a long time for life to get back to feeling “normal” again.

Since there was so much initial work to be done, the Jews postponed the rebuilding of God’s temple until a more convenient time. Their postponement slowly turned into years of procrastination. They seemed reluctant to return to their faith. When Haggai the prophet finally communicated the word of the Lord, eighteen long years had passed since their release from captivity.

“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’” (Haggai 1:5-7)

Maybe the Babylonians had interrupted their lives so effectively that many of the Jews had lost faith in their God. But after almost two decades of self-sufficiency (somewhere online it was described as “fruitless prosperity”) they were starting to realize they had put the Source of their lives at the bottom of the list of priorities.

“For you have spent enough time in the past doing what pagans choose to do” (1 Peter 4:3)

Unexpected medical bills come along. Children get into trouble. Husbands and wives argue. The car breaks down. The water heater explodes. The house gets flooded… Joni said “the abundant life eludes us” when “we want what we do not have” and “have what we do not want.” Intentionally placing the Lord first—even before myself or my wishes for my home and my family—is the key to being content in any situation.

“The fear of the LORD leads to life: Then one rests content, untouched by trouble” (Proverbs 19:23)

Lord, thank you for giving my family the good life. May I not focus so much on “things” or lifestyle. Help me give careful thought to my ways. May I be content and rest in your sufficiency today. Amen.