Therefore the heavens above you have withheld the dew, and the earth has withheld its produce. And I have called for a drought on the land and the hills, on the grain, the new wine, the oil, on what the ground brings forth, on man and beast, and on all their labors.”
What would it take for someone to get your attention? In a political season we often don’t really engage in the politics of the land unless they really impact our day-to-day lives. Yes, there are political junkies who area always obsessed with the news of the day. But, main stream people don’t really notice much unless it impacts their lives. This truth resonates with all eras of people. God knows this and has, on countless times, used that same truth to get the attention of his people. In the above passage God, through the prophet Haggai, warns those who had returned to Jerusalem to rebuild the Temple. They started the job but then quit. Haggai is sent to motivate them. One of the motivational tools he uses is the “stick”. In chapter two he will use the “carrot.” But, in the above passage he speaks truth about God impacting the weather to hinder the growth of their food and wine. This is not the first time God used a prophet to impact the weather:
James 5:17-18 (ESV)
Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.
James tells us that Elijah was of “a nature like ours.” That means he (and Haggai) were not special people. They were but normal men with their own challenges. But, God used them to impact an entire nation through their ministry. God uses men to change the course of history. Not supernatural men, but normal men who are filled super naturally with God’s Spirit. God uses them to impact the conditions that grab man’s attention. Don’t ever think, as believers, we cannot be used by God to impact the world around us. God has been for ever using men like Haggai and Elijah and James and Peter and Paul and ... you?
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