Be strong. Work. Fear not.

When I drag the tip of my highlighter across the page of my bible, I skip over other words in Haggai to draw out those three imperatives: Be strong. Work. Fear not.

God is speaking to people who have become self-obsessed at the expense of their relationship with the creator. They attempt to bandage immediate issues and fail to realize the root cause of their problems. They build their own houses and fail to contruct a dwelling place for God, which is indicitive of their collective heart’s posture.

Fortunately, the people listen and respond. The revert into a posture of reverence. God’s response? “I am with you.” Then some of the main characters in the book are ignited and they go to work on the house of the Lord.

Roughly a month later, God speaks again and says be strong. This is a command. An order. Perservere!

This is followed by, Work, for I am with you. God’s presence is both a comfort and a discomfort. In one way, the people are blessed to have God’s presence in their midst. In another way, they are prodded on because it is clear their work is being watched. As every tree is chopped and every stone placed, the people are keenly aware that their work is for God’s glory, and he is surveying the progress. No pressure.

This is followed by My Spirit remains in your midst. Fear not. So, if they were afraid, this was meant to comfort them, to allow them to continue to be strong and work. Yes, God is present. Yes, God is terribly powerful. But his purpose is to dwell with his people, to be glorified in their midst and through them, to bless them. I do believe this is still true for the church today. Be strong. Work. Fear not.

Be strong, declares the Lord.

Work, for I am with you.

My spirit remains in your midst. Fear not.

How often am I tending to my own matters at the expense of my soul? I “build my own house” and God receives whatever pieces of my mind and heart I have left at the end of the day.

If I (and you? and we?) fearlessly perservere in our work, I reckon that we would find tremendous blessing as a result.

When we posture ourselves before the Lord in reverence, awe and love, we are moved to build God’s house. When we build, God is glorified and we are encouraged. When we are encouraged, God is glorified even more and our work is spurred on. When God is glorified through his people in a tangible way, the world looks on and is magnetized towards the glory.

So here’s the summary: May we be fearless and persevering workers for God’s glory.