1In the second year of Darius the king, in the sixth month, in the first day of the month, Yahweh’s word came by Haggai the prophet, to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, saying, 2“This is what Yahweh of Armies says: These people say, ‘The time hasn’t yet come, the time for Yahweh’s house to be built.’”
When the exile was over and the people were set free, a small remnant returned to Jerusalem. They were tasked with the responsibility of rebuilding the temple. At first, they were enthusiastic as the foundations were laid. Despite the trouble and difficulty that began to surround them they continued to build up the wall. However, it wasn’t long before enthusiasm weaned and passion petered out. After 2 years building work stopped and all there was to show were foundations and a small wall! About 14 years after that the prophet Haggai turns up and asks the question; ‘How come we are 16 years down the line and you still haven’t completed the task God asked you to do?’
We all have uncompleted tasks in our lives’, don’t we? That leaking tap we meant to fix, a shelf that never quite made it to the wall or a book that was never finished. Has God placed a call or assignment in your life that you keep meaning to do but just haven’t got around to yet? It could be call to serve him in a different capacity or to initiate a deeper prayer life. It may simply be to post that card of encouragement that you keep meaning to send. Often, we get used to unfinished projects in our lives’ we can walk past that leaking tap and no longer notice it. Sometimes it takes a pair of fresh eyes like Haggai coming to the people and asking why is this not done? Today let’s allow God to gaze at our lives with a fresh look, perhaps we too will be challenged to complete or even start a commission that God called us to that we never got around to.