Haggai 2:4
“Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel, saith the LORD; and be strong, O Joshua, son of Josedech, the high priest; and be strong, all ye people of the land, saith the LORD, and work: for I am with you, saith the LORD of hosts:”
Israel had experienced God’s judgment. The house of God had been rebuilt, but those who had seen it before looked at it with sorrow. They remembered the first temple that Solomon built. They remembered its magnificence and grandeur. Yet, as they looked at the current temple, they could only regret the price of sin. God even asked them in verse 3, “Who is left among you that saw this house in her first glory? and how do ye see it now? is it not in your eyes in comparison of it as nothing?” God understood their feeling of regret.
The good thing is that the story does not stop there. As soon as God reminded them of what their sin caused, He said, “Yet now…” Those two words may be two of the greatest words a person could read. Though God judged Israel, He was not done with them. Though sin’s result was a terrible price, God was still going to be among them and use them to do more works for Him.
Has sin caused you to pay a terrible price? Sin is certainly one of the biggest liars for it never tells you what you will feel like the next day. Yes, the day of sin may be pleasurable, but the next day will come and the feeling of dirtiness and regret will set in. Yet, let me assure you that God is not done with you if you have gotten right with Him. Let me show you a few things God reminds the repentant sinner.
First, God says to be strong. Notice that God said, “Yet now be strong,…” Friend, sin will always take your strength away, but God is reminding you that He still has strength for you today. You may feel that sin has left you weak, and it will, but God still has strength for you to help you serve Him. You don’t need to wallow in the depths of regret. It’s time you pick yourself up and decide to do something again for God. That is what God is trying to get across when He says, “…be strong.” Don’t let sin keep you down; instead, be strong and pick yourself up and start serving God again.
Second, God is not done with you. Notice why God told them to be strong was so they would “work.” God still had things He could do with their lives. Likewise, God still has a work for you to do. Sin may tell you that God can never use you again, but He can. In spite of the Pharisees who would like to keep you down, God still has a work for you to do. What size that work is I don’t know, but He has something for you if you will get back up.
Third, God is still with you. What a comfort it is when God says, “…for I am with you.” Okay, sin makes you feel as if God is not there, but I promise you He is. He promised that He would never leave you, and He says that He is still “with you.” God has not given up on you and never will.
Take these words of encouragement and decide to do something for God. Just because you’ve sinned does not mean God is done with you. The Scriptures are filled with illustrations of people whom God used after sin. Yes, our goal is not to sin, but we will sin. When you have sinned, let these words of encouragement pick you up when sin tries to keep you down.