When the Lord Stirs You Up
Haggai 1:14a
So the Lord stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel.
What does it mean to be “stirred up?” It means to rouse, awaken, excite, raise up; to incite; to arouse to action; to open one’s eyes. This saying is used of an eagle stirring up its nest. Deuteronomy 32:11 says, “As an eagle stirs up its nest… Psalm 108:2 speaks of a musical instrument being awakened or warmed up for playing. In Isaiah 50:4, the Lord awakens the prophet each morning and “awakens” his ear to heart God’s message. This is describing when the Lord begins to speak and lead you to do something special He has for you to do. Zerubbabel was “stirred up” by God to lead the people to work on the temple again. Haggai, a prophet of the Lord, in verse 14 of Haggai 1, spoke the Lord’s message to the people saying, “I am with you.” This is when the Lord also spoke to Zerubbabel to help lead the people to work again on the temple. The people’s hearts had grown cold and God was “stirring up” their hearts and giving them a renewed desire to do the will of the Lord in completing the temple of the Lord. Carpenters, stone masons, and helpers got their tools out and with renewed energy began working again. Haggai, the prophet prophesied to them, “Be strong, …and work.” This is how God often moves in our lives, He stirs us up. There can be times when some thought comes in your mind and it will not leave. It’s like a reoccurring word or sentence, or a rolling around of some thought that makes you even wonder what could be wrong with you that you are repeatedly thinking about something or someone. Can you recognize the “stirring up” of the Lord? This is how He often will speak to us as His children. Hannah Whitehall Smith, an old classic Christian writer would often write, “Mind the checks!” When a recurring thought does not leave your mind, this very possibly could be the Lord stirring up your spirit even as He stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel for a specific task and plan to be put in place. We can receive a clear call, a specific stirring from the Holy Spirit, and try to ignore it. That’s not a great place to be in. It can feel like you have something caught in your teeth and you can’t get it out. Well, the stirring up by the Lord feels very much like that—something caught in your spirit and the only way for it to be released is to be obedient to what God is stirring in you, even as Zerubbabel did and began building God’s house once again.
What about you? Is there anything the Lord is “stirring up” in you today? Are you afraid to obey what He is asking of you? Is your heart pliable and soft before the Potter? Or are you lazy, stubborn or afraid? I would encourage you to yield to the stirring of the Holy Spirit. God will walk with you and guide you all the way. And you will be blessed as you see the fruit of your obedience. Blessings on your day.
