Topic: A Sober Reflection [Saturday March 07, 2015]
Text: Haggai 1:1-15
Key Verse: “Therefore the heaven over you is stayed from dew, and the earth is stayed from her fruit. And I called for a drought upon the land, and upon the mountains, and upon the corn, and upon the new wine, and upon the oil, and upon that which the ground bringeth forth, and upon men, and upon cattle, and upon all the labour of the hands” (Haggai 1:10,11).
When something bad happens, we often look for someone to blame. But when natural disasters like earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, tidal waves, mudslides, droughts and lightning strikes occur we shift the blame on God. Incidentally, the insurance companies call them “acts of God.” The question most often asked after a disaster is, if God loves people, why does He wipe them out? Why would God allow famines like the one in our text?
The fault is not God’s; it is entirely ours. Sin prepares the way for disasters to occur. The remnant of the children of Israel that newly returned from Babylon started off with a great corporate vision of building the temple for the glory of God. But as soon as they achieved a little success, they quickly lost their focus. Sixteen years had passed and nothing had happened. Not so much as even a stone had been set for the temple. They had become so focused on their own personal needs and desires that they completely forgot what God required of them. Consequently, the nation experienced mysterious and continuous food shortages. In spite of their efforts in agriculture, they sowed much but brought in little.
For Israel, it was a time of looking back to reconsider their ways. As we reflect on our past, we will discover that we have failed the Almighty; we will discover that we have worked hard to plant our crops and tend our businesses, to be able to provide food, shelter and clothing for our families but have little or nothing to show for it. This is the time for us to arise and do the work of God.
As the Jews were commanded by God through Haggai the prophet, you need to completely give your life over to doing the work of God. And by so doing, you will begin to experience His abundant blessings upon your life.
Bible in One Year: Jeremiah 7-9
Thought for The Day: Don’t hold God responsible for human catastrophes.
DCLM Daily Manna was written by Pastor William Folorunso Kumuyi; is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Life Bible Church situated at KM 42 on the busy Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Nigeria.
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