Weak Is better

Ezra 3:1-3-  Now in early autumn, when the Israelites had settled in their towns, all the people assembled together as one person in Jerusalem.  Then Jeshua son of Jehozadak with his fellow priests and Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel with his family began to rebuild the altar of the God of Israel so they could sacrifice burnt offerings on it, as instructed in the law of Moses, the man of God.  Even though the people were afraid of the local residents, they rebuilt the altar at its old site. Then they immediately began to sacrifice burnt offerings on the altar to the LORD. They did this each morning and evening.

 

It wasn’t long after they returned to settle in their towns that they gathered together to worship and praise God for their new freedom. As the leaves began to signal the change of the seasons…they set their hearts on rebuilding the altar of the Temple...and began to offer God morning and evening sacrifices and prayers. This first act of worship together…bound them together in spirit…and gave them the strength and courage they needed to live with enemies all around.

 

They realized the importance of what God had done for them…and were humbled.  They realized the importance of worshiping God from the heart…and not out of habit.  They went to him to pray for protection in their weakened state…they gathered together as a people and celebrated their first Feast of the Tabernacles in 50 years.

 

God does his best work on our hearts when we are our weakest. When we are weak…we know without a shadow of doubt that it is God that does the real work…and not anything our weakened heart and body did on its own.  Our humble hearts run to his feet and pour perfume and dry them with joyful tears of gratitude like the woman in Luke 7:43-45.

 

If we run to his feet…and even crawl up in his lap in our darkest times…God uses this time that we are weakest to show us his strength.  He gives us a fire inside to tap into the mighty strength of God…and feeds our emptiness with the word of God and the Holy Spirit.  We become confident in God’s power to accomplish anything in our lives…like Paul in 2 Corinthians 12:9... “But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.”

 

I can testify that that Paul’s words are true…because I ran to God in my darkest hour…and climbed right up in his lap.  He has dried my tears…and turned my sadness into joy unexplainable. I believe with all that is in me that if I visit his word with him each evening before I sleep…and rise each day to visit and let his spirit explain to my heart what I read….I will gain just enough strength to face anything that Earth can throw in my path. 

 

It makes me feel better about being so imperfect and human. All the mistakes I still manage to make…when I let go of his hand for even one moment…are not the end of things for me…but become a new beginning when I run to him and admit that I tried to make it on my own …without him.  His strength can forgive and renew the biggest mistakes….his love can rebuild anything I lost to something even better than I had.

 

Father…I thank you for the love you planted in the hearts of these courageous Israelites so long ago. Thank you for allowing Ezra to record this story…so it would remind me that my inabilities are really possibilities when I place them in your hands. Help me to rebuild my own altar…and never stop offering you my time each evening and morning.  Let my time with you not become stagnant...or routine…but increase in rigor…and multiply the love you are able to overflow from my heart into others. Amen.