Haggai 1:2-3

“Thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘This people says, “The time has not come, even the time for the house of the Lord to be rebuilt.” ’ ” Then the word of the Lord came by Haggai the prophet, saying,^[1]

More than four hundred years after the Babylonians destroyed the magnificent temple of Solomon, Jews began to return to Jerusalem to rebuild it. But by the time Haggai wrote the temple was still lying in ruins. For thirteen years the people procrastinated and God’s temple was not rebuilt. God had given a charge, He had given instructions, but the people decided that it was not time to rebuild the temple, and God was not pleased.

How often have we been guilty of procrastinating, especially when it comes to the things of God? Time, of course, is the default reason for our delay. We are so encumbered by the various responsibilities and obligations of our lives that deciding our priorities prove difficult. We love the Lord and even intend to do what He has said, but there are so many other things that tend to be given higher priority.

There are many directions we could take with this brief word. We could talk about the care of our individual temples. We could make application to the rebuilding of our communities that need to happen. We could even focus on rebuilding, or for that matter building, our collective national righteousness, because that is what exalts a nation (Proverbs 14:34). But what is important for us to see is the importance of stepping proactively into the timing of God. Our time is not God’s time. We operate in specific segments of time (chronos), while God operates in His own time (kairos). We make decisions based upon chronos, but God moves when He gets ready because He is the Lord of time. Therefore, when instruction is given and received there is a narrow window for compliance that leaves little room for procrastination.

The Jews who returned to Jerusalem for the purpose of rebuilding the temple were guilty of procrastinating and so incurred the wrath and the judgment of God. Let us be careful to step resolutely into the timing of God trusting that though we may not be able to see for ourselves what He has decreed we will trust and obey anyhow.

Dear Lord, we are guilty like the Jews of Haggai’s day of procrastination. We have heard Your word and have cast it aside for a later time. We acknowledge that our priorities are misaligned and that we place our own pursuits before You. Forgive us and empower us to reorder our priorities so that You get the pre-eminence in all things. This we ask in the name of Jesus our Christ. Amen.

^[1] New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update (LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995), Hag 1:2–3.