A Time To Trust

You're listening to the My Morning Devotional Podcast, episode 1599. Today's Devo is called A Time to Trust.

Hey there, we're the Alessis, a ministry family working together in our church in Miami, Florida. And if you're like us, when days get busy and to-do lists get longer, it can be hard to find devotional time. That's why we've partnered with our friend Allison to produce a five-minute daily dose of heaven. This is the My Morning Devotional Podcast.

Hello, everyone. My name is Lauren Burgos, and I am your host for this week. We have talked about change and how that can take on many different emotions and seasons, like a time to wait, a time to release, a time to grieve, a time to laugh, a time to dance. So now we're talking about a time to trust and a time to trust in God. And I want to jump right into the word because this story, I just want to kind of quickly summarize it. But we are reading out of Haggai, Haggai 2, 3 through 5. And the story of Haggai really kind of revolves around God's temple in the Bible. And I don't, I'm not an expert on the story at all. So please don't take everything I say like I know it all. I don't. But the people are rebuilding the temple and compared to Solomon's temple, they're looking at it like completely disappointed and completely underwhelmed because they're like, this was not at all what the temple looked like when Solomon owned it. It was so glorious. I mean, God built it when Solomon built it. God owns the temple. Okay, we know that. Um, but they're looking at the new temple, just kind of disappointed and underwhelmed because the temple was like like the city center back in the day. It's what made their city. It was so glorious, so beautiful. And now they're looking at it like, well, what the heck? It's not that pretty anymore. It's not that nice, it's not what it used to be. And where we're gonna read out of today is God's response to them, to the Jewish people in the Bible. And it says this, and I'm also shortening this verse. So if you go in the Bible and you read Haggai 2, 3 through 5, it's actually much longer. I'm just sort of summarizing it. And it says this Who of you is left who saw this house in its former glory? Be strong and work, for I am with you, and my spirit remains among you. Do not fear. So what he's telling the Jewish people right now is he's like, I get what you're feeling. Like he's not dismissing their feelings. Who of you who's left who saw this house in its former glory? Okay, cool. I get it. Its former glory was beautiful, but be strong and and work. Like put your hands to the plow and be strong because guess what? I'm with you. You're not gonna be doing this alone. My spirit remains strong among you, so do not fear. And I kind of love that that God doesn't come in and he's not seeing these people, and he's immediately like, hey, suck it up. Stop crying. How dare you feel this way? You know, it's your fault anyway. You guys don't take care of like he's not come because that's not God's heart. I think that would be my heart, but that's not God's heart. He immediately is like he's very empathetic towards them, he's very kind towards them. And I think when we experience change, I think this really relates to us because let's just be honest, a lot of times new seasons are exactly like what the Jewish people felt in this moment. When the new people stood in front of the temple and they started, like, you know, experiencing this emotion of this is not what we expected, this is not what it used to be. That's a lot like how marriage is, where you're like, I'm married and this is not what I thought marriage would be like. Or that's a lot like maybe how parenting is that you're like, this is not what I thought having a child or a baby would be like, or maybe even raising a teenager. I did not know that raising a teenager would be like this. Maybe that's how um, I don't know, success is you finally got the job you wanted and you're making the money that you want to make, and you're like, this is not what I expected. This is just different. Um, and and again, we can go on and on. And I I just want to remind us of God's response here. God is not looking at us going, you know, I I finally gave you the job you wanted, and you're never grateful, and you never say thank you. So I'm just gonna stop giving you stuff. Because again, that's probably how I would respond. God's going, hey, do you do you remember how you were in the last season? Because I remember, and that was tough for you. But look, be strong. Be strong and work, put your hands to the plow and work. In your new job, work, in your marriage, be a good wife, be a good husband, work, bring your best to the to the spouse, to your spouse, and your uh to your children, work, be a good mom, be a good dad. For I am with you, and my spirit remains strong among you. And do not fear because I think even God knows that when we experience change and we have that feeling of like, this is not what I thought it'd be like, and we get nervous and we get anxious, it can be a very fearful feeling. Like, and me and um Daniel, my husband, we kind of laugh at ourselves, but we have these conversations of like you get married and it can become very fearful because you're like, Are you gonna be this way forever? Like, is that is that who I married? And are you gonna stay this way forever? And it can kind of maybe be that way in other circumstances. Am I gonna be working this job forever? Oh my gosh, I can't, I don't want to work this job forever. Is this what my life's gonna look like? Am I gonna be single forever? So we immediately jump to fear and anxiety, and God's like, hey, my spirit remains among you. Do not fear. I remember what you were like in the old seasons. I was with you there, I'm with you now. Do not fear, for I am with you. So I just want us to remember this is God's response to us. And and this is a time not to just be overcome with fear, but to trust God. Because God comes through for us. And like I was saying last episode, um, I didn't want to jump to like the hope and the trust thing. We know God comes through for us. And here God is saying, you know, who of you is less who who of you who is left who saw this house in its former glory, God's like, I know what I'm capable of, and you know what I'm capable of. So be strong and trust me. Be strong and work and trust me. We know God is capable of coming through. We know it. And we need to have that faith and we need to trust in God. Let's pray. Lord, please help us, Lord, that when we are tempted to compare this season to the last, Lord, Lord, help us to remind us, Lord, that your presence has never ever left us. Lord, help me when I'm tempted to go to my past and bring it into this one. Help remind me that your presence has never ever left me. And help me to trust you even when I think life looks a little different than I imagined, Lord. And Lord, I just pray for every person listening to this podcast under the sound of my voice. If they can relate to this podcast at all, Lord, help them with the same thing. Help us not jump to fear, but help us jump to trusting in you. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen.

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