Haggai 2

Haggai chapter 2, beginning at verse 1.

Haggai 2 · chapter mention

In the seventh month, on the twenty-first day of the month, the word of the Lord came

by the hand of Haggai the prophet.

Speak now to Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua, the son

of Jehoshadak, the high priest, and to all the remnant of the people, and say, who is

left among you who saw this house in its former glory?

How do you see it now?

Is it not as nothing in your eyes?

Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel, declares the Lord.

Be strong, O Joshua, son of Jehoshadak, the high priest.

Be strong, all you people of the land, declares the Lord.

Work, for I am with you, declares the Lord of hosts.

According to the covenant that I made with you when you came out of Egypt, my spirit remains

in your midst.

Fear not.

For, thus says the Lord of hosts, yet once more in a little while I will shake the heavens

and the earth and the sea and the dry land, and I will shake all nations so that the treasure

of all nations shall come in.

And I will fill this house with glory, says the Lord of hosts.

The silver is mine and the gold is mine, declares the Lord of hosts.

The latter glory of this house shall be greater than the former, says the Lord of hosts.

And in this place I will give peace, declares the Lord of hosts.

On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius, the word of the

Lord came by Haggai the prophet.

Thus says the Lord of hosts, ask the priests about the law.

If someone carries holy meat in the fold of his garment and touches with his fold bread

or stew or wine or oil or any kind of food, does it become holy?

The priest answered and said, no.

Then Haggai said, if someone who is unclean by contact with a dead body touches any of

these, does it become unclean?

The priest answered and said, it does become unclean.

Then Haggai answered and said, so is it with this people.

And with this nation before me, declares the Lord.

And so with every work of their hands and what they offer there is unclean.

Now then, consider from this day onward.

Before stone was placed upon stone in the temple of the Lord, how did you fare?

When one came to a heap of twenty measures, there were but ten.

When one came to the wine vat to draw fifty measures, there were but twenty.

I struck you and all the products of your toil with blight and with mildew and with hail,

yet you did not turn to me, declares the Lord.

Consider from this day onward, from the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month.

Since the day that the foundation of the Lord's temple was laid, consider, is the seed yet in the barn?

Indeed, the vine, the fig tree, the pomegranate, and the olive tree have yielded nothing.

But from this day on, I will bless you.

The word of the Lord came a second time to Haggai on the twenty-fourth day of the month.

He speaks to Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, saying, I am about to shake the heavens and the earth

and to overthrow the throne of kingdoms.

I am about to destroy the strength of the kingdoms of the nations

and overthrow the chariots and their riders and the horses and their riders shall go down,

every one by the sword of his brother.

On that day, declares the Lord of hosts,

I will take you, O Zerubbabel my servant, the son of Shealtiel, declares the Lord,

and make you like a signet ring, for I have chosen you, declares the Lord of hosts.

So last week, we looked at Haggai chapter 1 and saw two key phrases.

Haggai 1 · chapter mention

First, Haggai said, consider your ways.

This is chapter 1, verse 5 and 7.

Isaiah 1:5

We saw there that God confronts us about our misplaced priorities.

Haggai was prophesying to the people who had returned to Jerusalem from the exile in Babylon.

They had been back in Jerusalem for 18 years,

but the temple which the Babylonians had destroyed was still in ruins.

And Haggai confronted the people.

He said, you've repaired your own houses, you've rebuilt your own houses,

but the house of God is an abandoned construction site.

It looks terrible.

And it's an indication of how little you care about God.

Because He promised that He would dwell among you if you build a house for Him.

Your priorities have been out of whack,

and your life has not been going well as a result.

So consider.

But the second phrase we saw in chapter 1, verse 13, was a word of encouragement.

I am with you.

When we take His word to heart, God encourages us.

Now, unlike many other Old Testament prophets who were ignored or persecuted,

the people actually listened to Haggai.

They took His word to heart and they obeyed it.

And so God encouraged them and gave them energy from His word and from His spirit.

And they began this project of building the temple once again.

But building the temple was a massive multi-year project.

I wonder, have you ever begun a new habit?

Or started a big project?

Or embarked on a long journey?

For the first couple of days or even couple of weeks, it's exciting.

Because it's new.

But after a few days or a few weeks, the initial enthusiasm dies down.

And the difficulty of the project sets in.

You know, many people, perhaps you, have made a New Year's resolution to start going to the gym.

But according to one study, of all the people who bought gym memberships in December,

20% of them quit by June.

Another 20% quit by the following December.

And the reason why fitness clubs stay in business is only half the people who still have their gym membership

actually go regularly, twice a week or more.

At this point in the year, the holiday season has come and gone.

And we're facing two or three more months of short days, long nights, cold and sometimes dreary weather.

And it's easy to get discouraged and defeated.

And the same pattern can happen spiritually.

If you're planting a new church, or starting a new ministry, starting a new small group,

the first couple of months or even a year can be exciting.

But after some time, all kinds of challenges can come up.

Relational tensions, disagreements about strategy and priorities, disappointing lack of response.

And you can begin to wonder, was it really worth it anyway?

Maybe there was a time in your life when you had great energy for God.

Maybe as a young believer.

But now that energy and that drive that you once had has faded away.

And your life as a Christian feels like the gray skies on a bone-chilling, rainy New Haven day.

Now what we'll see in this chapter, in Haggai chapter 2, is that God not only encourages us in our new beginnings,

Haggai 2 · chapter mention

He encourages us at each step along the way as well.

What we're going to see is that God encourages us in three ways.

He encourages us despite slow progress in the past.

He encourages us despite, sorry, despite slow progress in the present.

Despite lingering defilements from the past.

And despite dim prospects for the future.

So we'll look at each of those in turn.

So first, God encourages us despite slow progress in the present.

This is verses 1 through 9.

The end of chapter 1 tells us it was the 24th day of the 6th month when the people began to work on the temple.

And God sent them a message of encouragement.

I'm with you.

And just four weeks later, 7th month, 21st day of the month, God sent Haggai to the people with another message of encouragement.

Actually the same, He says the same thing.

I'm with you.

It expands on it.

But the date is significant, 21st day of the 7th month, because the 21st day of the 7th month, which would be late October in our calendar, was the last day of the Feast of Tabernacles.

It was sort of the end of the major Israelite holiday season.

The 7th month began with the Feast of Trumpets.

And then there was a fasting and prayer day, the Day of Atonement.

And then there was a week-long Feast of Tabernacles from the 15th to the 21st.

And large numbers of visitors would come to Jerusalem for that great feast.

It was sort of like a national campout.

They'd camp out in tents for a week, remembering how when they came out of Egypt, God had sustained them in the wilderness, when they lived in tents or tabernacles, temporary dwellings.

And they would also remember, at that same time, how hundreds of years ago, the great King Solomon, at the height of Israelite history, had dedicated his magnificent temple to the Lord in Jerusalem at the end of the Feast of Tabernacles, on the exact same day.

And the glory of God had come down in a cloud to dwell in this temple.

So the feast was a reminder not only of the Exodus, but also of the glory days of Jerusalem.

But for the returned exiles, for the people of Haggai's time, those glory days were long gone.

The king was gone.

The temple, once glorious, had been plundered and destroyed by the Babylonians.

And there was only a foundation that hadn't been worked on for 15 years.

In verse 3, Haggai put into words what people were thinking and feeling.

He says, who's left among you who saw this house in its former glory?

How do you see it now?

Is it not as nothing in your eyes?

I mean, after four weeks of working on an abandoned construction site, even with modern tools, it doesn't look like much.

And Haggai acknowledged the discouragement that the people felt when they saw the slow progress of the work.

And it was beginning to sink in how long it was going to take to carry out this project.

They looked back to a glorious past that was long gone.

They saw slow progress in the present.

And they projected their present condition onto their vision for the future.

But Haggai acknowledged that.

He gave voice to their discouragement.

But he didn't stop there.

In verse 4, he continued.

He says, yet now, be strong, O Zerubbabel.

Be strong, O Joshua.

Be strong, all you people of the land.

Work, for I am with you.

Haggai drew on the words that the Lord had spoken to Joshua a long time ago.

When Joshua was leading the people of Israel from the wilderness,

where they had lived in tents into the promised land for the first time.

And they had nothing.

They had no king, no temple, no land.

Nothing except the clothes on their backs and the tents they were living in.

And the Lord said to Joshua, just as I was with Moses,

so I will be with you.

I will not leave you or forsake you.

Be strong and courageous.

Be strong and very courageous.

Have I not commanded you, be strong and courageous?

Three times he repeats, be strong.

Don't be frightened.

Don't be dismayed.

For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.

Haggai echoed those same words over 500 years later.

Three times he said, be strong.

To Zerubbabel, to Joshua, and to the people as a whole.

And he reassured them, I am with you.

God is with you just like he was when you came out of Egypt.

Remember what you were just celebrating in this Feast of Tabernacles,

that God was with you in the desert when you were living in tents,

when you had nothing,

and he led you with the pillar of cloud by day

and the pillar of fire by night,

the signs of his Holy Spirit dwelling among you.

He says, my spirit remains in your midst.

I promised that I would never leave you nor forsake you,

and I haven't and I won't.

So fear not.

Now in one sense, it's right to fear the Lord.

When Haggai confronted the people in chapter 1

about their misplaced priorities,

verse 12 says they responded by fearing the Lord.

In other words, with a reverential awe

that motivated them to listen and obey

because they realized who was speaking to them.

That's a right kind of fear.

But in chapter 2, verse 5,

Haggai warned them against a wrong kind of fear,

a paralyzing, faithless, debilitating fear.

He said, if you stand in awe of the Lord,

you don't need to be terrified by anything else,

and you will never be alone.

My spirit remains among you, fear not.

When we feel discouraged and defeated,

when we face long-term challenges

and see little or no progress in the present,

God mercifully speaks.

He speaks into our despondency and our depression,

and he speaks to us about his sufficiency

and his faithfulness.

Three times, Haggai reminded the people

who is speaking to them,

declares the Lord, declares the Lord,

declares the Lord of hosts.

That means the Lord of the armies of heaven.

When you're discouraged,

it's good to acknowledge

the source of the discouragement, to name it.

It's right to acknowledge our own feelings,

whether that's sadness or anger or disappointment

or whatever they may be,

but Haggai says, don't stop there.

Yet now hear the word of the Lord.

You see, it's very easy to focus in

on our present troubles

and our present lack of progress

and project that,

our present experience, into the future.

But Haggai says no.

Instead, you must fix your eyes

on what God has certainly promised to do

in the future

and let God's future promises

shape your present experience

rather than the other way around.

Verse 6 begins with the word for.

It's an important word.

Fear not for,

because thus does the Lord of hosts

yet once more in a little while

I will shake

the heavens and the earth

and the sea and the dry land.

And he promised

that one day he would fill

that house,

he would fill his temple

with glory

and peace.

God says you can know

that I'm with you now

despite the slow progress

because I'm telling you in advance

what I've resolved to do

in the future

with this.

Haggai said to the people,

I'm going to make

this temple more glorious

than it ever was.

More glorious

than when King Solomon

built it with gold

and silver

and bronze

and cedar

when he was the richest

and wisest man in the world

and all kinds of people

from all over the nations

as far away

as the Queen of Sheba

came to give tribute

to honor

this great king

and this great God.

Now you might ask,

did that ever really happen?

Did the temple

that they were building

actually become

that glorious?

Well in one sense

it did.

According to Ezra chapter 6

Ezra 6 · chapter mention

in Haggai's own lifetime

the Persian emperor Darius

paid the construction costs

for the rebuilt temple

in Jerusalem.

The treasures

from the treasury

of another nation

that built up

the house of the Lord.

And a few centuries later

the temple was expanded

and adorned by King Herod.

Treasures from a few

other nations

were brought into the temple

but only a few.

And it was never

a place

of lasting peace.

But in the New Testament

we see God

beginning to fulfill

Haggai's prophecy

in an even greater way.

We see God

beginning to shake

the heavens and the earth

to bring in the treasures

from all nations

and fill his house

with glory.

You see in the New Testament

the New Testament

shows us

that in the person

of Jesus

God was establishing

a greater temple.

A place where his glory

would dwell on earth.

Where God

and humanity

would meet

and be reconciled

for all eternity.

Jesus said in John chapter 2

John 2 · chapter mention

he said destroy this temple

and in three days

I will raise it up.

And the people

couldn't figure out

what he meant.

But John says

he was speaking

about the temple

of his own body.

At Jesus' baptism

the heavens were torn open

and the glory of God

descended

in the form of a dove

on Jesus.

At Jesus' crucifixion

the earth shook.

And after his resurrection

we see Jesus

the risen Lord

breathing peace

on his disciples.

sending his spirit

upon them

sending them out

to the ends of the earth

to gather in people

from all nations.

You see the New Testament

says that

we who believe in Jesus

are God's temple.

That God now lives in us

by his spirit.

But the temple

isn't a physical building

but it's a community

of people

who are filled

with the spirit of God.

Through Jesus

we have peace

with God

we're now his ambassadors

extending that grace

and peace to the world.

And the book of Revelation

speaks of a future day.

It says there'll be a day

when there'll be

a great multitude

that no one can count

from every tribe

and every language

and every nation

and every people

who will stand before

the throne of God

and of the Lamb King Jesus.

And this Jesus

will one day

make all things new.

And God will dwell

with us forever

and wipe every tear

away from our eyes

and the new Jerusalem

will be a temple

filled with the glory

of God.

The kings of the earth

will bring their glory

and honor into it

and a river of life

will run through it.

And on either side

of the river

the tree of life

and the leaves of the tree

are for the healing

of the nations.

And it says

we will see his face

and there will be

no more night

for the Lord God

will be our light

and we will reign

with him forever

and ever.

God says

this is what

I'm going to do

with you in the future.

This is why

you can be confident

that I'm with you

in the present

as you build

the house of the Lord

even if it looks

small and shabby

right now.

God said

I'm committed

to building

a glorious temple

with my treasured

possession

my people

from all the nations

of the earth

for all eternity.

So if you're making

slow progress

in your life

as a Christian

if you're discouraged

by slow progress

in the church

in loving one another

and building one another up

in sharing

the hope

of Jesus Christ

with our city

and our world

if you're discouraged

by slow progress

don't project

your present circumstances

onto the future

and remain

despondent

and apathetic

but listen to what

God has promised

to do

for you

through you

to you

with you

let God's future promises

shape your present experience

and the New Testament

says this too

1 John chapter 3

1 John 3 · chapter mention

he says

beloved

we are God's children now

and what we will be

has not yet appeared

but we know

that when he appears

we shall be like him

because we shall see him

as he is

and everyone

who has this hope

in him

purifies themselves

just as he

is pure

I urge the people

be strong

and work

on the temple

in Jerusalem

because that temple

was a physical sign

of God's promise

to one day

fill his temple

with glory and peace

and as followers

of Jesus

our job is not

to build a physical temple

our job is to build up

the people of God

and even though

that's sometimes

a slow and difficult process

it's all worth it

because God has promised

us a glorious future

so God encourages us

despite our slow progress

in the present

that's the first thing

second

we see that God

encourages us

despite our lingering

defilements

from the past

this is verse 10

through 19

verse 10

through 14

Haggai had a dialogue

with some of the priests

it might seem confusing

at first

like some obscure

bible trivia

but the basic point

is this

contamination

spreads

purity

doesn't

if you have

Ebola virus

you are a danger

to anyone

that you come

in close contact with

if you are in good health

unfortunately

you can't pass that on

just by touching

someone else

but the point

is what he said

in verse 14

he says

the people

were spiritually

contaminated

they were polluted

they were defiled

they were unclean

in their hearts

and so everything

they did

was contaminated

by their idolatry

by their sin

their work

was contaminated

their worship

offerings

were contaminated

nothing they did

was pure

because their hearts

weren't right

with God

it's the same thing

he said in chapter 1

he said

your priorities

are out of whack

you've disobeyed

God's command

and to build a temple

and it shows

how little you care

about him

verse 15

through 17

he reminded them

how their misplaced

priorities

has resulted

in frustration

and curse

sent by God

himself

but then in verse 18

and 19

Haggai unexpectedly

turns a corner

he says

consider

from this day

onward

it's the same word

that he used

back in chapter 1

when he said

consider your ways

consider your misplaced

priorities

consider how your life

is not going well

because your priorities

are not right

but then he says

consider

God's priorities

consider from this day

onward

consider

verse 19

from this day on

I will bless you

it's a strike

see

the book of Haggai

is not just about

our priorities

it's also about

God's priorities

and God is saying

my priority

is to bless

you

to care for you

to restore you

it's a striking

transition

in this section

from confronting

the people

about how

spiritually

contaminated

they are

and how devastating

the effects

of that

is

to promising

from this day

on

I will bless you

they had begun

rebuilding the temple

they had begun

responding in obedience

to God's word

but they were still

dealing with

the lingering

pollution

from their past

can you identify

with that

are you haunted

by lingering

defilement

from your past

do you look back

to a time

when you were

a slave

to addiction

deceiving

and being deceived

hated by others

and hating

one another

being foolish

and disobedient

and led astray

and even if you're

not using anymore

do you feel

discouraged

and defeated

and despairing

when you look

at the wreckage

caused by your

past life

or are you

living in shame

because

you've defiled

your body

you've secretly

indulged in behavior

that you know

is not pleasing

to God

and some days

in your mind

you may try

to justify it

other days

you may try

to forget

about it

but deep down

you still feel

dirty

and when Paul

says present

your bodies

as a living

sacrifice

holy and

acceptable to

God

that seems

like an

impossible

demand

instead of

a joyful

response

to God's

liberating

mercy

friends if

that's you

if you're

haunted by

lingering

defilement

from the

past

there is

good news

for you

the Bible

says that

Jesus Christ

is the

atoning

sacrifice

who has

taken our

sin and guilt

and shame

upon himself

and carried

it away

in his

death on the

cross

and now he

stands as the

risen and

victorious Lord

who promises to

all who turn to

him from this

day forward

I will bless you

you see Jesus

Christ is a

rebuilder of

broken lives

he's the

redeveloper

who loves to

buy boarded up

houses in bad

neighborhoods

not so he can

move far away

and make lots of

money by renting

out substandard

apartments as an

absentee landlord

but so he can

move in

and renovate

them personally

and reside in

them himself

and shine light

into the whole

neighborhood

as a result

that's what he's

done

with you

and me

with anyone

who turns to

Jesus in

faith

he's bought

us

with his

very own

blood

he's come to

live in us

by his spirit

personally

so that we

might be

channels of

his blessing

to the world

and so that we

might be part

of the eternal

city

that he is

building

yes

the road ahead

may be long

you may still

be reaping

painful results

of what you

have sown

in the past

Haggai

acknowledged this

verse 19

he was speaking

exactly three

months

after they

started rebuilding

the temple

on the 24th

day of the

ninth month

and he said

is the seed

in the barn

yet

none of your

trees have

yielded anything

in other words

the people

had obeyed

God for three

months

and on the

outside

nothing seemed

to have got

better in their

life

that Haggai

said just

wait

you see

Haggai

was speaking

in December

the ninth

month

of the

Israelite

calendar

and in the

agricultural

rhythm of

ancient Israel

they would

sow the seed

for the

following year

in October

and November

after the

harvest in

August and

September

and from

December

through February

they were the

cold months

and the seed

would lie

dormant in

the ground

and only in

March and

April and

after that

would they

see the

result

Haggai was

saying just

wait God

is determined

to bless you

and a plentiful

harvest is to

come

the apostle Paul

says the same

thing in Galatians

he says if we

sow to the

spirit we

will from the

spirit reap

eternal life

he says so

let us not

become weary

in doing

good for

in due

season we

will reap

a harvest of

holiness if

we do not

give up

see God

encourages us

despite our

slow progress

in the present

despite our

lingering defilements

from the past

and finally God

encourages us

despite our

dim prospects

for the future

this is the end

of the chapter

verses 20

through 23

Haggai concludes

with a word to

Zerubbabel

who was the

governor of

Judah

and Zerubbabel

had a glorious

lineage in the

past he was

descended from

King David

the grandson

of King

Jehoiachin

one of the

last kings of

Israel he had

survived the

Babylonian exile

but his

personal prospects

for the future

would have seemed

dim

he was not the

king of an

independent nation

he was the

governor

of a minor

outlying

province in

the Persian

empire

he had no

empire to

rule

no palace

to reign

from

no fortified

city to

defend

he was

responsible for

governing a

bunch of

refugees

and rural

poor people

who were

periodically harassed

by their

northern neighbors

and he was

subject at any

time to the

shifting demands

of his Persian

superiors

it wasn't

exactly an

enviable job

but Haggai

spoke his

final words

directly to

this man

verses 21

and 22

he says

to Rebabel

I want you

to know

that I'm

going to

bring judgment

on this

wicked world

he uses

the same

language

that was

used back

in the

exodus

about when

Pharaoh and

his armies

were and

their horses

and chariots

and riders

were pursuing

the Israelites

to capture

them and

enslave

them

and they

were drowned

in the

Red Sea

God says

I will bring

judgment

on this

wicked world

but he

said

verse 23

on that

day

I will

take you

my servant

and make you

like a signet

ring for I

have chosen

you

he says

to Rebabel

your personal

prospects for

the future

may look

dim

but in

God's

great

redemptive

plan

you have

a glorious

destiny

just like

I took

David

from the

humble

obscure

task of

tending

sheep

in the

middle

of

nowhere

to become

a great

king

of

Israel

I

will

take

you

as

my

own

just

like

I

called

David

my

servant

you

too

will

be

my

servant

I

will

make

you

like

a

signet

ring

for I

have

chosen

you

a

signet

ring

bore

the

owner's

name

and

mark

it

signified

a

close

relationship

even a

bestowal

of the

owner's

authority

two

generations

back

the prophet

Jeremiah

had

pronounced

God's

judgment

on

Zerubbabel's

grandfather

Jehoiachin

for his

wickedness

and

Jeremiah

said

though

Jehoiachin

were the

signet ring

on my

right hand

I would

tear you

off

and

give you

into

the

hand

of

those

who

seek

your

life

Jehoiachin

was

removed

from his

position

of

authority

and

taken

into

exile

but

here

Haggai

says

that

judgment

is now

reversed

the

exile

was

God's

judgment

on the

wicked

kings

and the

rebellious

people

of

Israel

but

it

was

a

temporary

judgment

and

not

a

final

one

in

other

words

he's

saying

God's

not

done

with

you

yet

despite

appearances

I'm

not

done

with

the

royal

line

of

David

because

I

promised

to

him

long

ago

that

his

throne

would

be

established

forever

and

I

don't

go back

on my

promises

even if

it appears

that I

do

I

will

not

now

Zerubbabel

didn't

become

king

in fact

we're

not

quite

sure

what

happened

to

him

after

the

temple

was

rebuilt

but

he

did

have

a

royal

destiny

in

God's

great

redemptive

plan

he

became

an

ancestor

of

Jesus

himself

Matthew

chapter

one

he's

right

there

in

the

genealogy

of

Jesus

in

that

line

leading

up

to

the

promised

king

the

promised

savior

the

promised

deliverer

maybe

your

personal

prospects

for the

future

looked

in

maybe

you're

in

a

dead

end

job

subject

to

unpredictable

demands

from

your

supervisors

in

charge

of

people

with

lots

of

difficult

problems

maybe

your

hopes

and

ideals

of

a

family

have

fallen

to

pieces

maybe

you're

literally

a

refugee

struggling

to

survive

in

a

foreign

land

maybe

you're

facing

death

itself

but

brothers

and

sisters

in

God's

great

redemptive

plan

you have

a

glorious

destiny

because

in

Jesus

Christ

God

says

I've

chosen

you

to

be

my

servant

you're

precious

to

me

and

I

love

you

I've

placed

my

signet

ring

my

name

my

image

my

mark

on

you

this

is

the

word

of

the

Lord

of

hosts

so

to

begin

this

new

year

brothers

and

sisters

let

us

be

encouraged

be

encouraged

despite

slow

progress

in the

present

be

encouraged

despite

lingering

defilements

from the

past

be

encouraged

despite

dim

prospects

for the

future

because

God

is

with

us

and

we

have

a

glorious

destiny

in

Jesus

Christ

let's

pray

a

prayer

for the

new

year

oh

Lord

length

of

days

does

not

profit

me

except

the

days

are

passed

in

your

presence

in

your

service

to

your

glory

give

me

your

grace

that

goes

before

me

that

follows

me

that

guides

sustains

sanctifies

and helps

me

every

hour

that I

might not

live one

moment apart

from you

but may

rely on

your

spirit

to supply

every

thought

speak

in every

word

direct

every

step

prosper

every

work

build

up

every

mustard

seed

of

faith

and give

me a

desire

to show

forth

your

praise

and testify

your

love

and advance

your

kingdom

I launch

my boat

on the

unknown

waters

of this

year

with you

oh

father

as my

harbor

with you

oh

son

as my

helm

with you

oh

holy

spirit

filling

my

sails

guide me

to heaven

with my

lamp

burning

my ear

open to

your call

my heart

full of

love

my soul

free

give me

your grace

to sanctify

me

your comforts

to cheer

your wisdom

to teach

your right

hand to

guide

your counsel

to instruct

your law

to judge

your presence

to stabilize

may your fear

be my awe

and your triumphs

my joy

amen