2 “Speak to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, to Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest, and to the remnant of the people. Ask them, 3‘Who of you is left who saw this house in its former glory? How does it look to you now? Does it not seem to you like nothing? – Haggai 2:2-3 (NIV)
How many times has someone close to you – usually after a time of looking at old pictures – said, “man, I have to get my high school figure back.” Or maybe it’s that couple who celebrated 25 years of marriage together who say, “we’d give anything to look like we did on our wedding day again.”
25, 40, maybe even 50 years or more have passed since the glory days of your youth.
“How does it look to you now?”
That’s a painfully discouraging question.
The people are thinking and feeling the same as they begin the work to rebuild the Temple. The one King Solomon built years ago was glorious. No expense was spared, every resource possible was used, and master craftsmen labored and carved it all into beauty worthy of the God who created the heavens and the earth. And now, only a remnant of people remain, finances are not as plentiful, and the help is volunteer at best.
No matter how well you stick to your New Year’s resolutions, you’ll likely never re-build your body to look like it did when you were eighteen. But what if God isn’t interested in you building your physical body back to some former glory? What if the Lord, in the power of His presence in your life, wants to do something far greater and of much more significance with a less-than-perfect exterior? What if the glory days of your youth will pale in comparison to the glory that is yet to come through a life in relationship with and complete surrender to the Lord your God?
8 For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. – 1 Timothy 4:8 (NIV)
By all means, please, take care of your physical health – eat well, exercise, get proper rest. But use these 21 days of prayer and fasting as a time to focus on your spiritual health – it’s here that the Lord wants to show you that the best is still to come!