the greater glory.

In my last post, I mentioned how the Word of God is living and active. It never ceases to amaze me how God speaks through His Word, sometimes in the most unexpected places. I remember as a kid not always understanding much of the Old Testament in terms of its relevancy. Of course, there are cool stories and rich history, but even now, I tend to gravitate to Jesus’s words and the encouragement of Paul in the New Testament. 

I am currently teaching through many parts of the Old Testament in my Bible class - from the judges of Israel to Samuel, Esther, Joshua, and Ezra. Yesterday, our lesson was on rebuilding the temple, and a verse struck me, moving me to tears. You see, the Jews had been taken into exile by King Nebuchadnezzar in 586 BC when he also destroyed their temple. Forty-eight years later, Cyrus decreed that the Jews were free to return to their home. They would begin a months-long journey through the desert, arriving to a city in shambles. They would have to rebuild not only their homes but the temple. This would be quite a task. 

Here is where I like to stop and put myself into the story. It’s easy to breeze through it, but please stop and imagine the hardship here. Your home, your city, and your place of worship are destroyed. You are exiled to a foreign land for nearly 50 years. You can finally return home, but you’re not going back to the home you knew - you have to rebuild. I mean, this sounds exhausting. But at the same time, this is a moment of praise. God has delivered and restored. The people recognized this as the scripture says,

“When the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the Lord… With praise and thanksgiving they sang to the Lord: “He is good; His love toward Israel endures forever.”

But there is a mixed reaction, and these are the verses that hit me. Have a look,

“And all the people gave a great shout of praise to the Lord, because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid. But many of the older priests and Levites and family heads, who had seen the former temple, wept aloud when they saw the foundation of this temple being laid, while many others shouted for joy. No one could distinguish the sound of the shouts of joy from the sound of weeping, because the people made so much noise.”

I immediately understood this response. It was bittersweet. Oh, how I resonate with that. I went to some commentaries to get a bit more information. No one can say for sure as to why the weeping, but the speculation is that those who had seen the glory of the former temple wept because this temple was not as grand or glorious. They were likely mourning what was and perhaps the sins that had gotten them to this point. The weeping could have also been from gratitude and the overwhelming emotion of God’s faithfulness. Notice, the weeping was from the elders. Those who had not seen the former simply rejoiced and shouted.

Do you feel this? Oh, I do. I live amid my own wrestling of contentment and seeing the glory of the new. Do you ever see both? You can know and believe with all your heart in where God has you, and yet sometimes mourn the former? I have to be honest, moving is so challenging. Sometimes I beat myself up thinking that I should feel more settled after close to two years in a new home. I feel silly when I long for the sunshine or my pool but I am also gracious with myself when it comes to things like friendships or a job I loved. Rebuilding does take time. Connection takes time. Especially in the midst of navigating multiple journeys of grief. Sometimes I still feel so out of place, wondering what my purpose is here. Calvin and I had a very real conversation about this this morning, and I appreciate his heart and understanding. I know God has put me in the space of being available to my children and walking them through their struggles. I also know He has a plan and so much yet to come. I trust it. And, I see the hope.

So you see - I read this, stopped in my tracks, and felt it to my core. It’s as though I could feel the very real pain and very real joy those elders were experiencing at seeing that new foundation. Do you want to see the BEST part? Look at what Haggai says, reflecting on this very same moment,

“‘Who of you is left who saw this house in its former glory? How does it look to you now? Does it not seem to you like nothing? But now be strong…Be strong, all you people of the land,’ declares the Lord, ‘and work. For I am with you,’ declares the Lord Almighty.

‘In a little while I will once more shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land. I will shake all nations, and what is desired by all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory,’ says the Lord Almighty. ‘The silver is mine and the gold is mine,’ declares the Lord Almighty. ‘The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house,’ says the Lord Almighty. ‘And in this place I will grant peace,’ declares the Lord Almighty.”

This floods my eyes with tears. Please don’t miss this. It wasn’t about the temple - how big it was, how glorious it was - the LORD would fill it - and *that* is what would make it greater. So you see, wherever you are in your life, no matter what it looks like, no matter how you feel - there is a greater glory. Be strong, keep working - the Lord is with you. Allow His purposes in your life to be fulfilled because there is a greater glory ahead, friends. 

We may not see it yet, and that’s okay. We don’t always understand while we are in the middle, but we can trust. So I will keep going back - day by day and moment by moment, allowing Him to be my peace. Because, peace is a person - not a place, not a circumstance, not an idea. He will meet you in your deepest pain and your darkest days, and the sun will shine again. There is a greater glory to come.  

*Ezra 3:12-13, Haggai 2:1-9

**I chose this photo because these windows, this view - stops me in my tracks every day. I purposely stop and look every morning, and I am reminded of God’s faithfulness. As the sun is rising, the sun beams through the windows. I marvel at how you can feel the warmth of the sun even on the coldest of days. I stood on the spot of sunlight this morning, reminding myself that summer is coming. Before I know it, I will be sitting on that porch, soaking up the rays of the sun and basking in its warmth.