Haggai 2:1

On the twenty-first of the seventh month, the word of the Lord came by Haggai the prophet saying,^[1]

There does not seem to be very much here from which we can glean a Word from the Lord on the surface, but remember the Apostle Paul’s words to his son in the ministry Timothy, “All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16). How does the Word come to those who supposedly speak for Him? How do they come up with their sermons, homilies, messages and/or lesson plans?

It is a question most everyone has asked at one time or another, and it goes to the heart of the challenge in the church today when there is not any longer real authority or influence. The church has become irrelevant in many places to many people; hence the massive decline in attendance. The newscasters, talk show hosts, and even reality stars have more influence than the most prominent preacher. The question is further complicated when one considers the inconsistency with which the Bible is interpreted, taught and applied.

Inspiration comes from multiple sources. God is constantly speaking at all times through many, if not all of those sources; and so, the challenge of the messenger is to hear effectively from Him sifting through and filtering what they hear. Haggai writes that the Word of God came by him or through him at a specific time. In other words, Haggai was merely the conduit through which God deigned to speak. God spoke directly to Him and He still can and does the same today. However, every word that is spoken must conform to what God has already said. It must not contradict what we read in the record we have of what He has already said in the Bible because, “God is not a man that He should lie, nor a son of man that He should change His mind” (Numbers 23:19).

It occurs to me today that those who proclaim the Word and those who hear the Word should have a much higher opinion of it and of the One who sent it. Why not choose today to transform the manner in which we read and hear the Word so that it might bring us true and lasting transformation.

Dear heavenly Father, we confess to often being callous concerning Your Word. We do not hold it in the esteem we should or give it the authority in our lives it deserves. We receive it as interesting perspectives or viewpoints but give it no more authority than other pieces of literature we may read or hear. Help us today to return to the Bible as hungry and thirsty students of Your Word. Give us the zeal to hear it, read it, study it, memorize it, and meditate upon it. Open our eyes and allow us to see beyond the pages a Word tailor made for us, and having received with joy, motivate us by Your Spirit to act upon it. Amen.

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