“…The Lord has anointed me to preach…to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.” Isaiah 61:2; “…behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” 2 Corinthians 6:2
Dear Ones:
When the decree of the Persian king Cyrus was given, to allow the people of Israel to return to their homeland, specific instructions were included concerning the rebuilding of the temple. The promises of God, through the prophets Isaiah and Jeremiah, associated with the return of the people to the land, were extraordinary. He would promise that all of their sins would be washed away, and the people would be restored to Him. So complete was this “new beginning” for Israel, that God would call her “virgin Israel,” one restored wholly to God, all of her past sins and failures washed away, and forgotten. There was also embedded in those promises, the inherent commitment of His “power, provision, and protection.” God would be IN this venture, bringing them back to the land, and establishing them again in it.
Upon returning to the land, the people began to build the temple, laying its foundation. There was immediate resistance coming from the enemies of Israel. So great was the opposition that the people were forced to stop building. This state of affairs would remain for several years. There appears to be a “settling down” by the people, living with the status quo of just accepting the foundations of the temple as being “enough.” All this would change with the “word of the Lord,” which God gave to the prophets Haggai and Zechariah. Consequently, the people would be stirred up to see that, in the economy of God, the time had come for Israel to believe God, and to finish building the temple.
At the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, He stands up in the Synagogue in Nazareth, and reads: “…He (God) hath anointed me (by the Spirit) to preach the gospel…to preach the ACCEPTABLE year of the Lord.” Paul would write to the Corinthians to clarify this matter of RESPONSIBILITY and EXPECTATION, from God’s standpoint: “…NOW is the accepted time; NOW is the day of salvation.” We need to grasp that God is committed, and willing, to work TODAY. He speaks and works in circumstances in this present moment, to reveal Himself to our hearts. NOW is the time for us to fling wide the gates, open wide the door of our hearts, to receive the fullness of Christ. We are called THIS DAY to consider, and lay hold of, God’s time. His time is NOW for His work and will, to be accomplished. Will we not choose to rise up and “build” this day, trusting Him for the fullness of His Spirit, the fullness of the knowledge of His will, and the corresponding fullness of His blessing?
Dear Father, give us grace to overcome all temptation to settle down. Enable us to see the necessity of seeing time and opportunity as You see it. And with that understanding, strengthen our hearts to lay hold upon You according to Your promises, for the realization of Your purposes. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Love, Dad