We are exploring scripture texts found in Handel’s Messiah, and this time we come to some verses found in Haggai. It is one of the shortest books in the Old Testament–barely two pages in most Bibles. But sometimes we encounter timely ideas in the most obscure corners of the canon of Scripture. Haggai’s contemporaries are pining over a past era and temple, and they are struggling to push forward in the present. The outward circumstances of our lives can feel harsh and threaten to undo any forward momentum. “Does it now seem like nothing?” asks Haggai about the restored temple. Still, God speaks to us today through Haggai’s words: “I am with you. Do not fear. My Spirit abides among you.” There can be greater glory in our lesser circumstances.
© The Dwelling Place 2016