Start Again

Ezra 5: 1,2 "Then the prophet Haggai and Zechariah the son of Iddo, prophets, prophesied to the Jews who were in Judah and Jerusalem, in the name of the God of Israel, who was over them. So Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and Jeshua the son of Jozadak rose up and began to build the house of God which is in Jerusalem; and the prophets of God were with them, helping them." NKJV

A vision is shared, hearts were stirred, people gave, they were one man, the work stopped…and then it started again. Why? Because of a couple of guys who did not forget the vision. Because of a couple of guys who kept their eye on the ball and did not let the delay impact them. Because of a couple of guys who came to the people "in the name of the God of Israel, who was over them." These guys did not come to the people in their name with their authority. I suppose they could have since they were prophets…but they did not. Instead, they came to the people in the name of the God of Israel who was over them. They refocused the people. They made sure that the people understood that this was not all about them, this was about the God of Israel who was over them.

Like I said yesterday, stopping stinks. But starting again is amazing…especially when the start is for the right reason, with the right motivation, in the name of the God who is over us. I have had a chance to experience this too…and it is a wild ride. The key, however, is to keep our eyes on the God who is over us. We have to acknowledge that it is all about Him, not about us. We have to say what our church's theme verse says this year: "We don't know what to do, but our eyes are on You." God is the focal point. Christ is the reason. He is the One we need to pursue. Not a project. Not a method. Not a program. Not a building. Our focus needs to be Christ. When it is, people and prophets will rise up. The physical and the spiritual will work together to accomplish only what God intends, with the end result – His glory.

Don't forget the vision with a clear view to God.