"So the LORD stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest, and the spirit of the whole remnant of the people. They came and began to work on the house of the LORD Almighty, their God."
Haggai 1:14 (NIV)
Knowing the next step is not the same as having the strength to take it. You know the Bible you should open. You know the conversation you should have. You may even know exactly what you have been putting off. But after a long stretch of drift, starting again can feel heavier than staying stuck. So you tell yourself you will start when you have more energy.
Haggai's people had every reason to be tired. They had lived through poor harvests and years of discouragement. The work in front of them was the same work that had stalled for about sixteen years. God's instruction was simple: go up into the mountains, bring down timber, and build His house. But simple is not the same as easy for people who are worn out.
The strength to start did not come from the people themselves. It did not come from a better harvest or from Haggai's skill as a preacher. The text says plainly that the Lord stirred up their spirits. The same people who had been too discouraged to build for years now came and began the work. Even their energy to begin was God's gift. God supplied the strength He was asking them to use.
The New Testament shows the same God at work in His people. In Philippians 2:12-13, Paul tells believers to continue to work out their salvation, because it is God who works in them to will and to act in order to fulfill His good purpose. Both the desire to obey and the power to do it come from Him. That does not make obedience passive. Haggai's people still had to go and work. About sixteen years of "not yet" gave way to twenty-three days from hearing to doing.
The step in front of you is probably smaller than the weight you feel. Maybe you are tired, and part of you fears that starting again will only end in another failure. Bring that fear to God. You do not have to rebuild your whole spiritual life today. Haggai's people began with wood. You can begin with one chapter, one prayer, or one conversation you have avoided. Drift that took years to build up does not always take years to turn around. The God who stirred tired people then is still at work in His people now.
Godseekers, giving careful thought to our ways ends with a step taken in God's strength. The God who calls us to look at our lives also supplies what we need to respond. Ask the Lord for strength instead of waiting to feel strong, and take the next step today.
Prayer
Gracious God, I confess that I have been waiting to feel strong before I obey You. I am tired, and some days I do not know how to begin again. Stir up my spirit the way You stirred up Your people. Give me the will and the strength to take the next step, and help me trust You with the rest. Thank You that the strength to obey comes from You. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Personal Reflection
- What step toward God are you putting off until you feel stronger?
- What does waiting to feel strong reveal about where you think the power to obey comes from?
Step of Faith
Think of one thing you have kept telling God can wait. Ask Him plainly for the strength to do it. Then, before the day ends, take the smallest real step toward it: open your Bible for ten minutes, send the message, make the call, or pray with your family tonight.
