S. O. A. P.
Here’s your 90 second AM devotional!
S-cripture:
Ezra 3:13
No one could distinguish the sound of the shouts of joy from the sound of weeping, because the people made so much noise. And the sound was heard far away.
O-bservation:
After the Babylonian King, Nebuchadnezzar, burned Solomon’s Temple to the ground in 586 BC, God’s Prophet Jeremiah predicted that in 70 years a remnant of Jewish exiles would return and rebuild it. In this passage, the 70 years had passed and Ezra and all of the people watched as the foundation was being laid for the second temple. While it was happening, loud shouts of joy began to be heard. But mixed in with the joyful sound was a shout that included weeping and wailing from the old returning exiles who remembered when Solomon’s Temple had burned to the ground.
A-pplication:
To the passer by, I’m sure they just heard noise. But that day it was the extremes of emotion that made the noise memorable. One extreme was the shout of “YOUTH.” That shout is joyous because it is uttered with the belief that there will always be “WINS” in front of US. The other extreme was the shout of “AGE.” It had tears and real sorrow mixed in with the joy. Age always remembers what was—what wrong turns were made—and how it could have been so much better. But it wasn’t, because in the haste of “YOUTH” there’s seldom a pause for the weeping of the “AGED.” What’s the point, they’re old, they’ve made foolish mistakes, and they haven’t told us the truth about the past. Yes, shouts were heard “Round The World” that day when the foundation was laid for the second temple. But believe me … “It Was MORE Than Just NOISE.”
P-rayer:
Dear Jesus,
Today I pray that we could find common ground in our world. In the middle of the extremes let us hear the laughter, but may we also hear the sobs. Amen
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