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Prepare Your Heart
To the best of your ability, get rid of all distractions. Take a few minutes to breathe deeply and quiet yourself in the Lord’s presence. Then, ask the Lord to speak to you in this time. Let Him know that you will listen and make whatever adjustments He will reveal to you.
Read God’s Word
A Verse for Today
Slowly and reflectively read the following verse(s) and listen to what God will say to you through His written Word. Consider writing down any insights He reveals to you.
Ezra 3:12 (CSB): “But many of the older priests, Levites, and family heads, who had seen the first temple, wept loudly when they saw the foundation of this temple, but many others shouted joyfully.”
Reflecting on God’s Word
The verse I’ve chosen for today is interesting and intriguing at the same time. It tells us that the foundation of the second temple had been laid. When the older folks saw it, they wept. But when the younger folks saw it, they celebrated.
What’s going on?!? Why are there such different responses that are specific to the age of the observers?
Simply put, the older folks had seen Solomon’s glorious temple about 70 years earlier. And when they looked at this smaller temple’s foundation in front of them, they knew it would never match the splendor of what they had previously experienced. The only appropriate response was to weep.
The younger folks had not seen Solomon’s Temple. So they had nothing to compare this new temple’s foundation to. They were simply excited that they were finally going to have a place to worship their God. So they rejoiced.
It’s that way today. There are some older individuals, as well as a few younger ones, who have witnessed incredible movements of God. They’ve been in seasons of revival and know that there is so much more of God to experience and enjoy than what most people experience in their churches and lives. And when they look at apathetic, dead Christianity, they weep. Why? Because they know there’s something more, something so much better.
But there are other Christians who have never experienced God in a very powerful way. They think that the dead, dry religion in their churches and what they are experiencing in their personal lives is normal. They have nothing to compare it to. So, to some extent, they are reasonably satisfied with something so inferior to what could be. They don’t know that there is so much more of God to enjoy.
So what’s the answer?
If you have experienced the powerful presence of God in a season of revival, share your story with others. It could be that your words could be the salt in the spirit of other people that causes them to crave a much more vibrant relationship with God than what they are presently experiencing.
If you are someone who has never experienced a time of revival, where God’s presence becomes so powerful and real, then read the Scriptures, particularly those places where people experienced and enjoyed their God. Read church history about the wonderful revivals that have swept communities and nations. And ask God to do it again. (A helpful book is “Firefall 2.0: How God Has Shaped History Through Revivals” by Alvin L. Reid and Malcolm McDow.)
Spend Time in Prayer
- Ask God to enable you to discover how He has blessed people with His presence in Scripture and Church history.
- Ask God to help you realize there is more to enjoy and experience of Him, and give you a craving to do whatever it takes to enjoy Him again.
Going Deeper
If you want to dig a little deeper into how God has blessed His people with His presence, consider reading the following GotQuestions article:
Sharing
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Matt Ellis is the pastor of White Hall Baptist Church in Richmond, Kentucky (whitehallbaptistchurch.org)
Matt’s Musings 