2020 VISION | Day 18 | Greater!
“The glory of this present house
will be greater than the glory of the former house,”
says the Lord Almighty. “
And in this place I will grant peace,”
declares the Lord Almighty
(Haggai 2:9, NIV).
You know the feeling when you’re the one responsible for making good on a promise? It could be as simple as delivering a pizza in 30 minutes or less or meeting deadlines or quality expectations at work. When we make promises, people are depending on us to deliver. In Haggai 2:9 God said that the glory of the temple that they were to build was going to be greater than Solomon’s temple. Solomon had all resources afforded to a ruling king undertaking a grand project. In Haggai’s time, this ragtag group of returning exiles didn’t have many ne things with which to rebuild the temple. But God made good on his promise. Some 400 years later, we can read about a greater glory in this rebuilt temple. Time and time again the gospels inform us of Jesus’ ministry and visitation in and around this temple in Jerusalem. The glory of the temple to come wasn’t greater because of building materials, it was greater because of the very presence of God himself. That is exactly what we’re praying for in this fast as we look forward to our own church (temple) refurbishment project. Pray fervently that the glory will be greater. Pray that He will move in even greater and more powerful ways to save those who are lost, heal those who are sick, bring freedom to those who are oppressed, and bring hope to those without hope.
Prayer: Father, awaken my faith to long for your presence and your glory in an even greater way. Open my eyes to see that in your kingdom, the best is yet to come. Let your coming glory transform us into your likeness and send us forth to carry your gospel into the community and world around us. In Christ’s name, Amen!
