The Road of Your Heart - Haggai 1

“Now, therefore, thus says the LORD of hosts: “Consider your ways.”” Haggai 1:5 ESV

How is it that our countless days can meld together into such a seamless oneness? Days are individual creatures, each having its own fingerprint, but as our many days string together, the nights meant to separate them seem to vanish. And those many days, sans separation, now seemingly become one unified being. And within that grand blending, patterns emerge. Habits are formed. And within those individual habits, much larger patterns materialize. Paths are created and then worn bare by feet that trod them in repetition. And just like that, seemingly without our intellect being alerted, we find ourselves on a path moving in a certain direction. Sometimes even travelling in a direction that is destined to take us somewhere we don’t desire to go. Yet if you find yourself on an undesirable life course, speeding towards a location you’d rather wish to avoid, how do you correct your course? Well, it may seem a bit oversimplified, but you simply need to stop, pull over, and carefully analyze the road you are on.

The book of Haggai is the first of three post-exilic prophetic books from the Lord, the other two being Zechariah and Malachi. After God’s judgement saw the Israelite nation taken into Babylonian captivity for 70 years, good king Cyrus releases a remnant to return to Jerusalem. And of the millions taken into captivity, only a scant 50,000 chose to return to their war-torn home. And as they did, they wept. The gloriously ornate temple of God that Solomon had constructed was gone. Their homes were gone, the vineyards were gone, the crops were gone, the livestock was gone. And so, it was time to rebuild. God instructed the 50,000 to first rebuild the temple and they started with fervor. Yet they quickly encountered great obstacles. Lack of money, lack of resources, lack of labor, regional governmental opposition, and most importantly in the face of all this opposition, an eventual lack of motivation. So what did the people do? They gave up on rebuilding the temple and focused on rebuilding their own homes. And in the construction of their own homes, they miraculously found no lack of money or motivation.

“Then the word of the Lord came through the prophet Haggai: “Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses, while this house remains a ruin?” Haggai 1:3-4 NIV

After only 15 years back in Jerusalem, the people had yet again, started stringing together days that had created an all too familiar road for them. And it was one that repeats throughout the history of sin-filled hearts. An existence that places self at the forefront and the kingdom of God somewhere in the far-off distance. God saw a people that had used His blessings to bless themselves, living in opulent houses paneled with the exotic cedars of Lebanon while the very temple of God stood in disgraceful unfinished ruins. So as God points this egregiousness out to the people through His prophet Haggai, what is the next line He delivers to them? And not just once but twice?

“Consider your ways” Haggai 1:5b ESV

“Consider your ways” Haggai 1:7b ESV

The interesting thing about this phrase is that when you look at the original Hebrew it is more accurately worded, “put your heart upon your roads.” It is literally the idea of your heart pausing, pulling over, and then analyzing the road it is on. A careful and honest heart-examination of where your feet are currently walking, and as you gaze far down that path, where it is eventually destined to take you. As you consider this message from God today, don’t just hear it...but do it. Stop what you’re doing, pull over, and take some time to analyze the road you’re on and honestly ask yourself, where are my ways taking me today? Is alcohol or drug abuse taking you down a long, desolate, destructive road? Are other addictions like pornography not only taking you to an undesired location but doing the driving? Is your marriage on a road that seems to be insanely driving in loops, repeating the same madness over and over? Are you feverishly working to panel your own house utilizing the blessings of God while your attention to the kingdom of God lies in great neglect? And how about your walk with the Lord Jesus Christ? If you have, in great faith, asked Jesus to be the Lord of your life, are you on a road today that is taking you closer to or farther from Him? God promises us that if we seek Him with all of our heart, He will be found. But is the road of your heart today truly seeking to be closer to Him? Or is there sin in your life that has altered your course and moved you inch by inch farther from the Lord you claim to serve?

Friends, no matter where in your journey you may find yourself today, it’s never too late to pull over and consider your ways. It is never too late to ‘put your heart upon the road’ in which you are traveling. The Lord desires for you to be on a path that is moving you directly closer to Him each and every day. A constant, daily journey of sanctification that sees you becoming more like Jesus every single day you take in the breath He gifts you. And just how does that daily sanctification materialize? There are four main vehicles that will transport you there. One, daily time in His Word, feeding on what Jesus calls in Matthew 4:4, more important than the very food we eat. Two, a thriving daily prayer life that quickly acknowledges that God is in control over all situations and you are not. Three, not attempting to fly the Christian life solo, but enjoying robust daily time with other believers in fellowship, spurring each other on into love and good deeds. And four, emulating the hands and feet of Jesus and lovingly serving the world around you, and thus, letting your light shine into this dark world.

It’s all too important today to realize, recognize, and react to the path you are on and where it is taking you. I pray that today, if it’s not a path that is taking you to the feet of Jesus, that you consider your ways and change the course of your heart.

Blessings upon your heart journey ~ Dan

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6

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