Joy

Solomon’s temple had been destroyed 66 years before the foundation of the new temple was laid, so the “old men” in the crowd would have been in the minority. Haggai 2:1–5 tells us that the prophet encouraged the people not to be disappointed in the outward appearance of the building, but to be strong and work, for the Lord Almighty was with them, and His Spirit remained among them.

The shouts of the new generation, who were just delighted to have any sort of a temple, drowned out the sobs of those who remembered the glory days. Worship was once more at the center of the life of God’s people and, after all, that was what really mattered.

Some of the most meaningful experiences of my spiritual life have been in churches with no walls, no ceilings, no seats, and no sound systems, overheads, or musical instruments. In a limited access country where Christians meet in secret at enormous risk to their lives, property, or freedom, I will never forget meeting clandestinely with the persecuted church, and when it was time to “worship” in song, they sang in whispers lest they be heard.

This is not to say facilities do not facilitate ministry, but the church, as my husband loves to say, is something you are, not somewhere you go. Peter reminds us we are “living stones” (1 Pet. 2:5).

Another thing to note: If we do have the blessings of buildings to worship in freely, the service does not need to be dull or boring. There was no dull formality here! Joy is all over this account as God’s redeemed people celebrated God and reveled in Him in their “worship.” God was glorified as the “sound was heard afar off” (Ezra 3:13), and the blessing spilled over into the vicinity. On what does our worship depend on? Do we worship Him in “spirit and truth”? The Father, Jesus tells us, seeks such to worship Him (John 4:24).

Jill P. Briscoe

Taken from Women of Faith Devotional Bible