O Come, Desire of Nations

O come, Desire of nations, bind
All peoples in one heart and mind;
Bid Thou our sad divisions cease,
And be Thyself our King of Peace.
Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

The prophet Haggai serves to encourage the rebuilders of the temple. The people, coming back to Jerusalem from the Babylonian captivity, were discouraged because despite all their efforts, they could not restore the temple to its former glory. The Word of the LORD says through the prophet Haggai that He will shake all nations, and they will bring their treasures (“desire of nations,” KJV) to fill the temple with splendor. (Hag. 2:7) The workers could not restore the temple to its splendor; only God can fill the temple with glory.

Envy, strife, and quarrels fill our world. We cannot even bring an earthly peace, much less a heavenly peace, to the world. We claim the promise that the God can take a ruined temple and not only restore it to its former splendor but go beyond what the builders could ever imagine. It is then that we realize the Prince of heavenly Peace (Shalom) is the only One who can heal our world’s brokenness.

Come, Lord Jesus.