A Word for the Rebuilders - Conclusion

‘This is what the Lord Almighty says: “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.’ Haggai 2:6‭-‬9 NIVUK https://bible.com/bible/113/hag.2.6-9.NIVUK

So we see, then, the four stages in rebuilding highlighted by Haggai. Firstly, we must recognise the shaking of the nations and its importance as a foreshock of the judgement to come. This must give us a greater impetus and urgency in resolving our relationship with God. Secondly, we must recognise that Jesus is the Desired by Nations: that He truly is the answer to the world's needs. This places an obligation on our shoulders to share Him with others and to be outwardly and not inwardly focused. Thirdly, we must recognise the importance of His glory to the nations, and give Him the freedom to manifest it in new ways, even if we are not entirely comfortable with how He does it. Fourthly, we must recognise the critical need for peace in the nations, and be conduits for this peace to those around us. On 26 August 1883 an event took place which was truly cataclysmic. It killed 36,417 people. It caused temperatures to rise across the world by 1.6 degrees for five years. It caused the release of 20 million tons of sulphur into the air. Four explosions took place, the third of which is believed to be the loudest sound in recorded history, audible an incredible three thousand miles from where the event took place. The pressure wave from the explosion was measured as travelling three and a half times around the globe. And before anyone asks, this has nothing to do with China, 5G, the Illuminati, Davos, Martian lizards, Bill Gates, the Democrats, the Freemasons or any other quite frankly idiotic conspiracy theory that people believe these days. No, this was the eruption of Mount Krakatoa in Indonesia. The amazing thing is that we can actually see its effects even now. You see, the enormous dust clouds caused spectacular colourations in sunrises and sunsets that the artist William Ashcroft drew thousands of times. There is even a possibility that the painter Edvard Munch captured a Krakatoa skyline when he painted his famous Scream painting, as it was painted around the same time. Imagine! A huge disaster, a cataclysmic event, turned into thousands of works of art. Could God not do the same? Could He not use a terrible disaster like this to re-design His church into something more attractive, more effective, more glorious than before? Could He not do the same with our lives? Are we prepared to let Him? I know people who are jigsaw puzzle fans. Right now it's as if our life is a complex jigsaw puzzle and someone has thrown all the pieces out of the box into the air and hidden the picture for us. If we want a clear picture, if we want a clear vision, of what and how to build, maybe it's time to stop complaining about the mess on the floor and ask the One who designed the puzzle in the first place. Maybe if we take the time to listen to Him, then whatever we are building will be more glorious than before.