Freedomနမူနာ

Rejoicing in the Present

I tend to glamorize the past. Though I’m sure my college years were riddled with hardships and uncertainties, I can only remember them fondly. It was the “time of my life” when I lived with all my best friends in one of my favorite cities. My friends now live scattered around the country, and we get together maybe once a year. My day-to-day life is mostly filled with feeding babies and keeping a house relatively tidy. There is less freedom and spontaneity, but my life is still full of joy. However, if I think too much about how life used to be, I find myself growing bitter. Why do I have to cook the meals? Can’t I get one night of uninterrupted sleep? Reminiscing about the greatness of my past erodes my happiness and contentment in the present.

The people of Israel in Ezra 3 were likely feeling the same way. After years in exile, God stirred the heart of King Cyrus to let the Israelites return to the promised land and rebuild the temple. They even followed the same specifications that King Solomon used in the building of the first temple. This return shows that God remained faithful to His people and His promise.

If that’s true, then why are the older men crying when the rest of Israel are celebrating? There is a sense that this new temple is not like it used to be. Returning to something long desired, only for it to feel different can be grieving. It would be like me returning to my college town. It wouldn’t be the same. Additionally, the prophets made many end-times promises that these older men knew would not come to fruition in their lifetime. The Messiah wasn’t reigning, and Jerusalem was not being exalted. They were wearied by the fact these prophesies had not been fulfilled yet, so they wept with longing for all to be restored.

Has your preoccupation with the past or longing for the future ever kept you from rejoicing about what God is doing in the present?

Thank you, God, for being a promise keeper. I trust You will do what You say You will do. Forgive me when I refuse to rejoice in what You are doing now because I’m focusing on what used to be or what will come. Open my eyes to Your glory around me.

For Further Reading: Psalm 90:12; Isaiah 43:18; 1 Thessalonians 5:16