Haggai 1-2

“You have sown much and harvested little. You eat, but you never have enough ... you clothe yourselves, but no one is warm” (1:6). The Israelites had returned to Judah from their exile, but they had not yet rebuilt Jerusalem’s Temple (1:2). They were focused on building up their own lives, yet their work was putting money “into a bag with holes;” no one was satisfied (1:6). The prophet Haggai reminded them that their first priority, the central fact of their community, had to be making a place for worship (1:7-9).

“My Spirit remains in your midst. Fear not” (2:5). When we make the Lord our central focus, we have the resources and courage to face all of life.