I’ve been reading in the minor prophets the past few weeks. These men of God are using their voices for God—often shouting, repeating warnings and judgment to come. The people, as a whole, don’t take them seriously. God’s people seem content with what the world offers them. The powerful are unmoved by the call to righteousness and just living; they crave even more power at any cost.
In my Haggai reading I wrote down five things God told His people through Haggai the prophet:
1- Consider your ways (1:5).
2- I am with you ( 1:13).
3- Take courage (2:4).
4- Do not fear (2:5).
5- But what did we have in common (2:17)?
I was particularly struck on #1, “Consider your ways,” for most of the day. I asked the Lord to help me consider my ways.
Consider—really think about, dwell on, devote mental energy.
Your—not my kids’ ways, not Josh’s ways, not teachers’ ways, not my neighbors’ ways, but MY own ways.
Ways—the patterns of my life, the activities I put my time and energy into, the people I invest in, what I spend money on or, maybe more convicting, what I don’t give money to, and even my attitude in all of these things and more. I journaled through all of this.
Then, my mind quickly was convicted with #5 when the Lord is asking, “But what did we have in common?” The Lord asked me what in my life reflects His heart? What doesn’t have anything in common with Him? Those must go.
Then, I was up and in the Word the next morning and was listening to praise music and sipping coffee while I opened up my very heavy heart to the Lord. Then, I turned to Psalm 5.
“Give ear to my words, O LORD.
Consider my groaning.
Heed the sound of my cry for help, my King and my God.
In the morning I will order my prayer to You and eagerly watch.”
I am thankful God hears my prayers and understands my groaning, as groaning were most of my praying this particular morning.
I was also reminded about something G.Campbell Morgan wrote about the words “eagerly watch.” It doesn’t mean I will eagerly watch the Lord after I pray to Him—maybe to see if He works the way I want him to. But it does mean I will “eagerly watch one’s own actions and ways that they may be kept in hearmony with worship and planning.”
“For,” as the next verse says, “You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness; no evil dwells with You.”
Again there was that push to “Consider my ways.”
More prayer.
More groaning.
And I love how Psalm 5 ends-
“But let all who take refuge in You be glad, let them ever sing for joy;
And may you shelter them, that those who love Your name may exult in You.
For it is You who blesses the righteous man, O Lord,
You surround him with favor as with a shield.”
These words apply to me in Charlotte, NC on this beautiful day in the midst of my exact circumstances. And I immediately prayed and groaned for all the people in harms way in the war in Ukraine. We groan, He hears. We worship and arrange our days and watch our ways; He sees. We take refuge in Him and sing for joy; He shelters and blesses and surrounds with favor as with a shield.
His Word is true and His promises are good. For all His children, everywhere. And I am grateful.