Rebuilding Begins

A few summers ago, we returned to my hometown to live near family. Here we discovered a century-old cottage by the sea that needed restoration. The foundation of the house was sinking into the sand. No rebuilding could begin until the foundation was repaired. I crawled on hands and knees under the house through dirt and debris to witness places where posts and pillars would have to be replaced. Everything for the cottage—windows, doors, cabinets—could not be rebuilt until the foundation was restored. Only then could the core elements of the home be realigned to a new cornerstone. 

When the Israelites returned to their hometown, the first thing they set in place was the altar of God. The altar would be their temporary location to honor and worship Him. But in order to complete the restoration of the house of God, they had to wait until the foundation was laid. They sent for the best materials, the finest cedars from Lebanon, to rebuild the crumbling foundation of the temple.

Their response when the foundation was finally complete: “All the people gave a great shout of praise to the LORD because the foundation of the LORD’s house had been laid” (Ezra 3:11). 

In the background, others were weeping because they grieved the first house of the Lord (v.12).

At times we are caught between the two, between grieving how things used to be and fully rejoicing at the new thing that God is doing. When we feel torn between the two, we have the opportunity to realign ourselves with God’s Word to restore our crumbling foundation. The cornerstone of His truth is the foundation for the framework of our lives, our circumstances, and our emotions. God’s truth is our foundation in this unstable world. Here, because of the work of Jesus, we can make His presence our habitation and dwelling place (Deuteronomy 12:5).

Where in life is your sanctuary, your reminder that you are invited to meet with God, where we remember our foundation in Him? Where do we go to lay back down on the altar the things that keep us from worshiping Him alone? So many elements pull us away and distract us from worshiping God with our whole hearts. When we return to the altar of surrender, God fills us with the joy of His presence!

Hebrews 10:9–10 uncovers why we now have direct access to the presence of God: Jesus was the final sacrifice on the altar of the cross. He inhabits our hearts when we abide in His nearness. We can experience the fullness of joy in His presence in our favorite chair, in our living room, or on the front porch!

Through the timbers of the cross, our foundation is firmly established. May that truth fill us with overwhelming praise, so we can shout from the core of our being, “‘For he is good; his faithful love…endures forever’” (Ezra 3:11).