It’s Time to Rebuild
Rebuild: To build something up after it has been damaged or destroyed
Our world is broken. People are hurting due to natural disasters, disease, broken relationships, social injustice, and so much more. For the past 12 years, I have lived in countries that were trying to rebuild. With my team and local friends, I would feel the ups and downs of the rebuilding process. In Central Asia, we would have a period of peace with universities graduating students ready to take on the world. Then violence would hit again, and progress would come to a halt. In West Africa, the country was Ebola free and making progress when the economy tanked partly due to bad decisions on the part of the government. It was too easy to put our hope in a better government or plan or system. But I have found when I do, my hopes rise and fall like a roller coaster.
When we left both Central Asia and West Africa, my heart was heavy as I saw much rebuilding that needed to be done. Now as I transition back to the States, I find myself in a period of rebuilding. Rebuilding a life here in my home country. Rebuilding my health after living overseas has taken a toll on my thyroid. Most importantly, rebuilding neglected relationships that come from living far away. On top of that, I think about what my role is in help bring unity between friends that have opposite points of view or reaching out to those to those who have felt unseen or been taken advantage of.
Can you relate? Do you see a need for rebuilding in your life and in the neighborhood around you?
Back in the summer of 2019, I feel in love with the short book of Haggai. God’s words to His people through the prophet Haggai were ones I needed to hear. Through the years, I have used this blog to share what I learned as I studied God’s word. This time I wanted to go deeper and decided to write a Bible Study. As I started writing, I found that the study was not complete with out the story of the temple rebuilding in the first part of Ezra and the night visions of fellow prophet Zechariah.
School started and the project was pushed to the side. Then in March, my school was closed due to COVID restrictions, and the project was restarted. As I started writing again, I realized how God’s word to the Exiles were timely for this season where it feels like so many things are broken. We need hope and strength to rebuild. This hope and strength can only come from God. This is how the study Rebuild was born.
Rebuild is a 7 week study with five lessons each week. It can be completed alone or in a group. Each lesson contains study questions, commentary, and personal stories that go with the passage being studied. So if you have ever wanted to study Ezra, Haggai, or Zechariah, this is a study for you. Or maybe you don’t know anything about these books of the Bible but resonate with the topic of Rebuilding, then this study is for you. My prayer is that this study with give you a deeper understanding of who God is and how He works in and through His people.