The Word to Build God's People
Then Haggai, the LORD’S messenger, spoke the LORD’S message to the people, saying, “I am with you, says the LORD.” (Haggai 1:13)
“The Lord GOD has given Me The tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him who is weary..." (Isaiah 50:4-5) O how good it is when we hear a word that is fitly spoken! We all need encouragement and we all need to be strengthened. The word of God is living and powerful and filled with all kinds of counsel from the mind of God but we need to be trained by God to know "how to speak a word in season to him who is weary." The word of God is able to make all of us "complete and thoroughly equipped for every good work" (2 Tim. 3:17).
When Haggai was sent by the Lord as His messenger, he made sure to give the message of the Lord. He did not share his own opinions or what he wanted to say to the people but rather what the people needed to hear. His Word was precise and on point. God stirred the spirit of the leaders and the people when they heard the word and received it humbly in faith.
When the people heard the strong and encouraging word of Haggai, they were encouraged and strengthened to return to the work of God. They OBEYED God and FEARD the presence of the Lord. And as they responded to what the Lord initiated in their hearts, the Lord made it known that He was with them.
When just one person speaks up and shares the Word of God, it can light a fire in a soul and stir the spirit of not only those who hear but all those who will be impacted by the change and transformation that follows.
Communion with God is where life is.
The Word that God spoken to the first man and woman in the beginning, "be fruitful and multiply" (Gen. 1:22) also carries with it an application of its own inception. The Word of God makes us fruitful and multiplies with powerful influence when it is heard, received, and spoken and sown into the hearts of others. The word that is given carries so much power and influence. As Isaiah said, "So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it (Isaiah 55:11).
Too many Christians today have only INFORMATION in the mind but there is a need for FORMATION IN the heart. The Lord has many ways to use us to encourage and build up the people of God but here are some key categorical ways that Haggai models for us.
THREE WAYS to BUILD UP GOD’S PEOPLE:
Encourage them to be strong in the work — God’s POWER
Remind them of who is with them as they go — God’s PRESENCE
Assure them they have nothing to be afraid of — God’s PROTECTION
Let us spend time with our Father in heaven daily and hear what He says to us in His presence to discern what the spiritual need of others truly are and our own needs.
May we have sanctified ears and speak a specific sanctifying word in season to others.
HEART WORK:
- What has God been stirring in your heart lately? Are you acting on it?
- How can God use you to speak His truth to others with greater precision?
Pray right now that God will give you "the tongue of the learned" and that you will build up others with your words and strengthen them.