Day 123, or May 3. Let's start again. Our thoughts today are rooted in Ezra chapter
6 verse 14. So the elders of the Jews continued to build and prosper under the preaching of
Haggai the prophet and Zechariah, a descendant of Iddo. They finished building the temple
according to the command of the God of Israel and the decrees of Cyrus, Darius, and Arta-Xerxes,
kings of Persia.
But first, here's the big picture surrounding this verse. After the first excitement of
wanting to rebuild the temple of God, there is a considerable delay for up to forty years.
Then on to the scene come Haggai and Zechariah, two prophets who would encourage the people
to resume their building project, and finally complete it. There was immediately a problem
from some of the local authorities. They must have been very well connected, because they
went right to the top and sent a letter to the king himself. Imagine the red faces when
the king replied that the project may proceed with his blessing. Finally it's completed
and the Passover feast is celebrated. The temple is complete and the people worship
God. All is well. God has given them a fresh start, because He loves them.
And now today's action step. Oh, if only I could start again, knowing what I know now.
Our God is the God of new starts. The people of Jerusalem must have been so excited when
they saw the temple completed. Then there were the dedication sacrifices and the celebration
of Passover. Could it possibly get better? God has something new for each of us every
day too. Should we start again? My grandchildren love to hear that, so that they can enjoy
a game or storybook all over again. We have the privilege of starting again too. One of
the big barriers to enjoying a new start is forgiving ourselves for the mess we made of
the last one. If God can forgive us, and He does, then we must forgive ourselves and go
forward holding the hand of the God of new beginnings.