Living in the Happily Ever After

After calling His people to a great work at the opening of Haggai’s prophecy, the Lord assures them in verse 13 that He will enable them to accomplish this monumental task. Likewise, many of the hymns and readings in today’s service emphasize God’s provision for our own callings. The Lord promises to prosper our work (Praise to the Lord, The Almighty). We pray that He will find our offerings acceptable (The Lord Ever Hear You—Psalm 20). We are reminded from the Scriptures that in the past, the Lord has made water spring in the desert (Psalm 107), and we respond, saying “Open now the crystal fountain whence the healing stream doth flow” (Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah). We urge one another to perform our duties faithfully, and God declares that He will never forsake us (If Thou But Suffer God To Guide Thee). Christ promises to give us strength to bear the yoke of obedience (Come, Ye Souls By Sin Afflicted), and He will richly repay us for our toil (Trust And Obey). The final hymn, How Firm A Foundation, includes a line (taken from Haggai, as well as other parts of Scripture) that sums up the whole morning: “Fear not, I am with you.” —Henry C. Haffner