Trusting: Rebuilding the Temple — Part 3
There are moments in life when we step back and look at what stands before us, and everything feels less significant than it once did.
After exile and years of conflict surrounding the ruins of Jerusalem, Israel finally began rebuilding the temple of the Lord. The altar had been restored and sacrifices resumed, but the foundation of the new temple appeared weak compared to the glory that once filled Solomon’s temple.
Some of the older generation who remembered the former temple wept openly as they looked upon the new foundation (see Ezra 3:12). It did not appear glorious. It seemed smaller, unimpressive, and incomplete.
The new temple felt insignificant compared to the past.
And our lives can feel the same way when we settle into a new season.
God spoke directly into this discouragement through the prophet Haggai:
“In the seventh month, on the twenty-first day of the month, the word of the Lord came by the hand of Haggai the prophet: “Speak now to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and to all the remnant of the people, and say, ‘Who is left among you who saw this house in its former glory? How do you see it now? Is it not as nothing in your eyes?” Haggai 2:1-3
In the wake of transition, we can judge seasons too early.
We mistake unfinished rebuilding for failure.
We assume God is absent because the process feels slower, quieter, or less impressive than before.
Whether it is graduating and moving away from home, relocating for work, returning from deployment, or walking through an unexpected life change, transition changes people. Long seasons of stress, uncertainty, exhaustion, and instability can leave our faith feeling unfamiliar.
In those moments, we begin comparing the present to the past:
what life used to feel like
what relationships once looked like
what our spiritual life once was
Discouragement can make us feel as though God is no longer working simply because things no longer look the same.
But God has not changed.
The same God who brought Israel out of Egypt remained with them in the middle of the rebuilding. His promises had not disappeared simply because the temple looked unfinished.
And His promises remain for those who know, seek, and love Christ today.
He is with you.
“Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel, declares the Lord. Be strong, O Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest. Be strong, all you people of the land, declares the Lord. Work, for I am with you, declares the Lord of hosts, according to the covenant that I made with you when you came out of Egypt. My Spirit remains in your midst. Fear not. For thus says the Lord of hosts: Yet once more, in a little while, I will shake the heavens and the earth and the sea and the dry land. And I will shake all nations, so that the treasures of all nations shall come in, and I will fill this house with glory, says the Lord of hosts. The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, declares the Lord of hosts.” Haggai 2:4-8
The temple appeared weak. The gold and silver that once outlined the splendor of the house of God were absent, and Israel saw only a poorly built structure.
Still, God told them to rebuild.
He alone would restore the glory that once filled the temple.
“The latter glory of this house shall be greater than the former, says the Lord of hosts. And in this place I will give peace, declares the Lord of hosts.’” Haggai 2:9 ESV
God specializes in rebuilding.
Not through human strength or perfect circumstances, but through His presence in the middle of uncertainty.
The greatest act of faith during transition is continuing to rebuild while standing in the trenches of uncertainty.
Anyone who has taken a step of faith and left behind comfort and familiarity knows how difficult it is to let go of what once was.
Why does it feel so hard to make necessary changes?
Because God is not interested in merely restoring an old life. He desires to build something stronger, deeper, and more enduring. Often, His plans are leading us toward greater things than we can presently see.
Transition is not only about changing your surroundings. It is a season where God is building something new within you.
Reflect
Looking back on your life, have you ever prematurely judged a difficult season that later became something good?
Has there been a time when you made a significant change to better your life and were met with discouragement or opposition? How did you overcome it?
Is there an area of your life where God may be calling you to change, but you are resisting? If so, why?
Prayer
Father, help me walk in Your ways, keeping in step with Your plan for my life. Give me strength and courage to face the challenges ahead so that I may grow into the person You are calling me to be. Teach me to trust You in seasons of rebuilding, even when I cannot yet see the finished work. Amen.
Transition builds Sanctification
