HAGGAI 2:5

'This is what I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt. And my Spirit remains among you. Do not fear.’

TO PONDER

Are you picking up a theme in this weeks devotions? Remembering the promises of God is a fundamental part of being one of His people.

In Haggai, many of the people of Israel, are returning to their home after being in exile in the Babylonian/Persian empire and they are mourning because the rebuilt temple is not as grand as the one that had been destroyed. God reminds them that he Promised to be with them and that it was God himself that would bring glory to the temple.

Just because things don't turn out the way we think or hope, doesn't mean that God was not, or is not, with us. God's promise to be the God of Israel, the promise that he made with Abraham and then renewed with Moses and the Israelites in the wilderness was that he would be their God and they would be His people. Even in exile, the Israelites were still God's people, even with a destroyed temple in Jerusalem God was still their God - he did not abandon them.

Jesus makes that same promise to his disciples - Surely I am with you even to the very end of the age. (Mt 28:20b). It's a promise that is just as good, just as enduring as the one made to Israel. No matter where you are at, or how long it has been since you checked in with Jesus, he is with you, waiting to offer whatever you need to get through whatever is facing you at the moment.

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, thank you for your promise to always be with me. Help me to remember and trust in that promise. May it make me bold in serving you and sharing your love and grace with others. Amen

Today's devotion written by Mathew von Stanke, LifeWay Newcastle