Hope from God’s Word
Contributed by Enid Victor

So the elders of the Jews continued to build and prosper under the preaching of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah, a descendant of Iddo. They finished building the temple according to the command of the God of Israel and the decrees of Cyrus, Darius and Artaxerxes, kings of Persia. The temple was completed on the third day of the month Adar, in the sixth year of the reign of King Darius.

Then the people of Israel—the priests, the Levites and the rest of the exiles—celebrated the dedication of the house of God with joy. —Ezra 5:14-16

The temple is finished! Imagine the celebration of that day. They sacrificed animals as dedication and for sin offering. They installed priests and Levites. Actions that they had not done in 70 years. Worship that had not been performed in several generations. Then they celebrated Passover, commemorating their exodus from Egypt, but also thinking about their return to Jerusalem from exile. God is faithful!

Getting here had not been easy. It took about 20 years to build it. They had to look at a partially finished temple for years, not knowing if or when it would get finished. It probably felt like a never-ending project. There was opposition from outside. When they were challenged, they remembered the promise that King Cyrus made, after God moved his heart. They appealed to King Darius, who confirmed Cyrus’ decree, and even paid for some of the work.

Through all of this, they were obedient to God’s work, continuing to build God’s house, praying for the time that it would be completed.

We are in the midst of graduations, a time of completion. We see friends and family complete something they have worked hard to achieve. There were certainly hiccups along the way, times when there may have been doubt that it would ever be completed. We know that God was with us in those times, in those setbacks, providing us what we needed to persevere. And then in the end, through that journey to completion, we find joy and celebration. Joy that can only come to fruition through obedience to what God has put in front of us. Out of our love for God, we continue to work for God.

Our lives are filled with setbacks and opposition, even when we are doing God’s work. And because we have the Holy Spirit to support and guide us, we can persevere through those times, enduring the difficult setbacks to complete our tasks.

Consider—

╬ Have you ever started a project (home renovation, starting a family, starting college/grad school, selling a house, etc.) and had no idea when it would be complete? How did you handle the uncertainty, the setbacks, the opposition?

╬ What “project” are you currently in the middle of that you can persevere through opposition and trial, in order to get to that day of celebration and joy? What do you need from God to help you?

╬ Lord Jesus, fill us with endurance and perseverance to complete the tasks You have given us. “And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.” (Romans 5:2b-5) In Jesus’ name. Amen.