Ezra 3:12 But many of the priests and Levites and heads of
the fathers’ houses, old men who had seen the first temple, wept with a loud
voice when the foundation of this temple was laid before their eyes. Yet many shouted aloud for joy.
Have you ever been in the middle of the darkest moment of
your life? Actually, maybe you are
looking at Life lying in broken ruins all around your feet. THEN
SUDDENLY, you find yourself laughing at the most inane memory. God has just provided a little JOY FOR THE MOMENT. Life is made of MOMENTS and moments pass but each one contains just a little bit of
JOY, if we allow God to enter the
moment with us.
Finally, the time had come, after 70 years of captivity, unable
to worship in Jerusalem, as commanded; in the second month of the second year, the
builders laid the foundation of the Temple of the Lord. What a time of rejoicing. Ezra 3 records that the priests stood in
their apparel with trumpets and the Levites with cymbals. They sang responsively, praised and gave
thanks to God. Oh the joy, the
Israelites, once again could worship in Jerusalem.
Ezra 3:8 tells us that Levites, 20 years and older, were
appointed to oversee the work, so there must have been many young Israelites
who were born in captivity and have never had the opportunity to travel to
Jerusalem to worship or celebrate the Jewish feasts and had certainly NEVER witnessed the glory and splendor
of the first temple. They had heard the
stories of Solomon’s dedication of the Temple, when the fire came down from
Heaven and consumed the sacrifice. They
tried to picture the moment when the Glory of God filled the Temple, so much
that the priests could not even enter to perform their duties. How they longed for THEIR MOMENT, their chance to minister before the Lord; in the
Temple; in Jerusalem. TODAY, was a new beginning; a time of
hope; a time of expectation; a time to rejoice…the foundation of the Temple was
in place.
BUT…not everyone
was under 70. Some had been there; they
had ministered before the Lord in Jerusalem; they had seen the Glory of the
first temple and they could not rejoice.
Ezra 3:12 tells us that the “Old Men who had seen the first temple, WEPT WITH A LOUD VOICE.”
WHAAAAT???? Where’s the
celebration; the fireworks; the jubilation; the cheers? You have returned from captivity. The foundation has been laid; hope is alive
and you are CRYING because it isn’t “Yesterday’s Blessing?” The “Old Men” had fallen into the iron jaws
of the “I CAN’T SEE WHAT I HAVE BECAUSE
MY EYES ARE FOCUSED ON WHAT I DON’T HAVE” TRAP. They’re MOURNING
OF THE PAST was causing them to miss the JOY OF THE MOMENT!
What about you? Ever
fallen into that same trap? I have. Too often I’ve missed the “party;”
the time of rejoicing because my mind couldn’t get past “WHAT WAS NOT!” I was MISSING THE JOY OF THE MOMENT because I
was MOURNING THE PAST OF WHAT HAD BEEN.
Perhaps your life has changed and you find yourself at a
place, not of your own choosing. Life
wasn’t supposed to turn out this way; you had it all planned. You see no “glory” in your future;
at least not as glorious as past events.
Maybe you are encountering health issues, the loss of a career, a loved
one, or even a ministry. Possibly, like
me, God is taking you into a new season.
And instead of “walking forward in happy anticipation,”
God is “dragging you, kicking and screaming” as you desperately cling
to the remnants of the joyous prior season.
BELIEVE ME when I say, “your
refusal to let go of the GLORY OF WHAT WAS will blind your eyes to the JOY OF
THE MOMENT.”
Open your hands, LET
IT GO!!! Ask God to OPEN YOUR EYES to the blessings He is
preparing for you TODAY!
REJOICE AND AGAIN I SAY
REJOICE! The old “building” may be lying in ruins but God has
just finished “laying a new foundation.”
Put on your “Garments of Praise;” grab that tambourine and shake it; it is
time to celebrate…you may have judged that your new situation will never be as
glorious as the old but if you will make the choice to join the “party,”
you will FIND THE JOY OF THE MOMENT.
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