Disillusionment is rife in the heart of many people regardless of gender, color, or national origin. Disillusionment surely suffocates any life, joy, victory, and peace out of a person, out of a family, out of a business, out of a church, and out of a people or nation. Disillusionment can also stifle or even kill a Calling or a ministry.
It was October 1929 and the world experienced the start of the greatest financial disaster ever. In the United States unemployment soared. Wages were reduced across the board. Homes and farms were taken away due to foreclosure but then banks were stuck with property that no one could afford to buy. Banks had no money. Retirements and savings were gone. Everything that everyone trusted in—materially—was gone or proved to be untrue. Through motivation (policies implemented and words of encouragement from President Franklin Roosevelt) and a war, the United States (and other nations) fought back and became stronger than ever. It was also in this time that faithful and diligent pastors and evangelists dutifully declared the Word of God. This empowered people to surrender their trust in what they could see and turn to the One whom created the heavens and earth and everything else therein. And although there were other recessions and bumps in the road since then, never was our nation as disillusioned as were the people during the Great Depression.
It was not until March 2020 when the United States was hit with a virus that swept across the planet like a large quilt. But rather than comfort or warmth, this quilt brought dire sickness, death, and economies crumbled. Millions lost jobs. Businesses and people who kept technology at arm’s length now had to embrace whatever was needed to work. Budgets didn’t matter anymore. Schools were closed in a drastic way. Even today everyone is questioning how and where to educate our children. Retail and food services shuddered. Masks are everywhere. Churches from coast to coast declared that this is the end. And even churches, the source for hope of any people, became closed or restricted. Sides pull and vie (and lie) for attention that they have the answers. Yet everyone, just like in the days of Jesus Christ, are scattered like sheep without a shepherd. People want answers. People are mired. Disillusionment has set in places just as bad (perhaps worse) as they were back in the 1930s. Where is hope?
Ancient words from the book of Nehemiah echo the hearts of millions of Americans—saints and sinners alike--, “And they said to me, ‘The survivors who are left from the captivity in the province are there in great distress and reproach. The wall of Jerusalem is also broken down, and its gates are burned with fire’” (Nehemiah 1:3). Then, just like now, a nation was virtually no more. The wall meant security and sustainability. The gates represented not only defense but also a place of government or where ideas were discussed and policies were established. Businesses gone. Identity gone. Hope gone. Belief gone. Glory gone.
And a man of God’s response—as ought to be the response of every Christian—is found in verse four of Nehemiah 1, “So it was, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned for many days; I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven.” Is this where the church is? It was at every major revival outbreak in America, South Africa, Wales, Choson, etc.—churches, neighborhoods, schools alike—but is it like this today where we stop, weep (not just for ourselves but for everyone), grieve, fast, and pray? The remaining verses of chapter one of Nehemiah declare an honest and a heart-filled, genuine prayer. The end of verse six is extremely revealing and we must pause for a moment to ponder these words in our own hearts and ask ourselves, are we guilty also? “Both my father’s house and I have sinned.” When a people stop pointing fingers at politicians and talking heads, when a people stop pointing fingers at religion, when people stop pointing fingers at the President, when people stop pointing fingers at their cities or employers, when the self-righteous stop talking, when people stop pointing fingers at other nations…when will people stop pointing fingers at others and get to where we find the sobering words of Isaiah 1:18, “Come now, and let us reason together”? When will we stop to understand we all—past and present generations—have sinned? And until we come now and let us reason, we will never truly get better but will only get worse.
What is very significant is what happened in the subsequent early chapters of Nehemiah. Although a cup bearer, a place of importance to the king, Nehemiah represented common people who, no matter where we are in our occupations or stations in life, can be the start of something powerful for God. And because God moved upon the heart of King Cyrus, finances, resources, and time were made available. The wealth is always been there. The talent, abilities, giftings have always been there. The resources have always been there. And when a people turn to God as their guide and surrender to His plans, He will move heaven and earth to rebuild a person, a family, a ministry/church, a city, or a nation.
52 days later, the walls were complete. Against the naysayers, mockers, saboteurs, God helped a people to accomplish a feat in a short time. God can and is available to help rebuild. But when will we confess our sin before God?
It would be wonderful if our narrative and lesson would end on this high note. But it doesn’t. Speaking now towards the church, decades later the prophet Haggai uttered a very blasting accusation in the form of a question from God (Haggai 1:4), “Is it time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, and this temple to lie in ruins?” People are people and often we are well known to do one thing: when we have a measure of success we forget God. We may attend church. We may rejoice in past victories and glory in wonderful and stirring revivals. We may be happy that our bank accounts are and have been for a while in the black. Instead of eating the basics and staples, we are now eating out much more often and with variety, too. God challenged His people over 2000 years ago and He desires to challenge us today concerning building His kingdom. I am not speaking of edifices in our cities with large gables, flashing signs, and a line out to the streets with people desiring to get into church. I’m referring to doing everything possible—bands, dramas, sharing, loving, praying, encouraging, etc.—to win people for Jesus but also everyone partnering together—just like the people did in the time of Nehemiah—with a common or singular purpose. A pastor said, “The apex of all Christian endeavors is to put the jewel of a repentant soul in the crown of the King”. Do our hearts burn with a passion, love, compassion, and fervency to reach our classmates, coworkers, neighbors, family, and friends? Do our hearts leap at the mention of nations like China, India, Mexico, Argentina, Zambia, Germany, Russia, Australia, etc? Or has the calming effects of our paneled lives stifled that clarion call…that pleading call (like found in Acts 16:9), “Come over to _____ and help us”?
What happened in the days of Haggai are no different than right now and it is these two spiritual matters. First is what I began with: disillusionment. Solomon’s temple stood as a shining testimony of God whose nation turned and trusted in Him. The temple stood as a beacon. Psalms and songs were made about it. Visions were spoken and delivered. Lives were touched. And because of sin and the bondage it brings—just like in backsliding, in much or even in the subtle little things of our lives—an attitude that the glory days of my life are gone. No longer am I that Christian/temple as I once were. Although there is a time of restoration and perhaps restitution, we punish ourselves (or allow others to punish us more than God desired). As a result, we quit before we even start. We sabotage our steps. We even feel the breath of those former thorns of temptation desire to ensnare us again.
The second thing is how we see ourselves. With all the splendor and majesty of the initial temple—the building structure then and our former walk with God—the people complained that the new temple will not be as beautiful and majestic as the former. Instead of silver, it was iron. Instead of gold, it was bronze. To them, a cheap imitation. “But many of the priests and Levites and heads of the fathers’ houses, old men who had seen the first temple, wept with a loud voice when the foundation of this temple was laid before their eyes,” Ezra 3:12. They already gave up from the start. Have we given up before any traction has been made? And if we are honest, when we come back to God, we may feel like an imitator of a Christian knowing that it was pride and whatnot that caused us to fall to begin with. Peter was the same way. He denied Jesus three times and yet a few hours before he promised to the Lord that he would not deny Him, even if he were killed. Will Peter ever become effective and fruitful? Or will he live the remainder of his days on the sidelines while others less gifted and Called go forth to battle?
God does not desire for us to be forgotten, ignored, kicked to the side, set apart and not used or blessed. God truly desires to restore, to rebuild, and to glorify us as we glorify Him. The answers are found in the following verses (Haggai 2:6-9), “For thus says the LORD of hosts: ‘Once more (it is a little while) I will shake heaven and earth, the sea and dry land; and I will shake all nations, and they shall come to the Desire of All Nations, and I will fill this temple with glory,’ says the LORD of hosts. ‘The silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine,’ says the LORD of hosts. They glory of this latter temple shall be greater than the former,’ says the LORD of hosts. ‘And in this place I will give peace,’ says the LORD of hosts.” There are several takeaways from this. First it is the LORD of hosts (or armies) who declares this outstanding and wonderful declaration. This means that not only will Jesus fight for us (and be by our side), but so will all of the angels. God literally will move all of heaven on our behalf if we will truly repent and desire to live in His will. Second, “it is a little while” means that just because these days, weeks, months, and even years seem like God has forgotten us or that His promises became null; to Him, it is just a little while. Wait, it will come to pass. Third, like the first, God will shake things up. This means two things that God will shake things up and whatever will be shaken will be removed from our lives and whatever doesn’t shake remains (see Hebrews 12:26-27). Maybe it is relationships that need to be shaken apart or shaken together? Maybe it is plans, visions, desires need to be shaken apart while His will, desires, etc. are shaken into our lives. Fourth, God will reveal His glory and will in our lives and through our lives (see Psalm 37:3-7). Fifth, the silver and gold represents that Jesus paid it all on the cross, so there is no more cost or debt…Jesus paid the debt in full once and for all (Hebrews 10:10). Sixth, God will bestow upon a Christian who is truly surrendered a true peace. Even in the midst of a storm, in a prison cell, about to be martyred for Christ, there is a peace that can encourage us and strengthen us. We can know that there is no better place to be than in God’s will except maybe His presence. Finally, “the glory of this latter temple shall be greater than the former” means that just because we may have preached and done great things for God, or that our church had seen dozens and dozens of people filling chairs and pews, that the church had abundant ministries, that the church was reaching out to not their city but to neighboring cities and even nations around the world, that God is not done (see John 14:12). There is A LOT more that He desires to do in us and through us.
So what are we waiting for?