“Thus says the LORD of hosts: Consider your ways. Go up to the hills and bring wood and build the house, that I may take pleasure in it and that I may be glorified, says the LORD.” (Haggai 1:7–8, ESV)

Sometimes we keep going in a direction because we think it is the right way. But we don’t notice when it is no longer profitable. Things that once seemed easy have become difficult. Once there were showers of blessings and new mercies every morning, but now we are in a spiritual drought. We search for spiritual tidbits to keep us alive, but our spirits are starving. What happened? Somewhere we took a wrong turn. Perhaps God is lifting His hand of blessing to help us grow in faith. Maybe there is an area of sin that we do not see. Probably we have not kept God as our priority, and He is letting us experience the pain of separation.

All these things were happening to the returned Jewish exiles who were living in Jerusalem. They left Babylon with high hopes. They came as pioneers with the blessing of King Cyrus of Persia. They purposed to rebuild the temple of God. But after a strong start they quit the work because of opposition. After about 15 years, God’s house was still in ruins. Meanwhile, the people turned to beautifying their own homes. But God was not blessing their misplaced priorities. They were sowing much but harvesting little. They were eating but still hungry. They earned money but put it in a bag full of holes! In short, the harder they strived the less they had to show for it.

So God raised up the prophet Haggai with a message to provoke them to action: “Consider your ways. Go up to the hills and get wood to build the temple so that I may take pleasure in it.” God would be glorified as they put their hearts into His work. The people obeyed the voice of the LORD, and He responded, saying, “I am with you.”

Are you going through a dry season in your walk with God? Does it seem that your best laid plans have come up short? Could it be that God is saying, “Consider your ways”? There is something wonderful He would teach you if you would listen. His purpose is never to harm us but to bless us. But we must keep ourselves in His love by keeping His commandments.