Something stuck with me from Ezra 3 that relates to the wide range of situations and emotions we navigate through continually. The majority of this chapter is about the Israelites’ process of rebuilding the altar of God and the temple now that they were back in Jerusalem. Even though they were afraid of the people around them, they built the altar and made sacrifices to God. 

Then, after building the altar, people gave generously (money, food, materials, etc.) so God’s temple could be rebuilt. When the foundation was officially laid, there was great singing and praise!

When the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the Lord, the priests in their vestments and with trumpets, and the Levites (the sons of Asaph) with cymbals, took their places to praise the Lord, as prescribed by David king of Israel. With praise and thanksgiving they sang to the Lord: “He is good; his love to Israel endures forever.” And all the people gave a great shout of praise to the Lord, because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid. -Ezra 3:10-11

Can you imagine the scene?! They’ve returned from exile and set to work restoring what had been lost, and with the first major milestone complete—the foundation laid—it’s time to celebrate! They would finally have a proper place to offer sacrifices and worship God again! Close your eyes for a minute and visualize… There were symbols, trumpets, priests decked out in their fancy robes, everybody in their right places. Are you hearing their sounds of joy? Singing, shouting, lifting their voices to the Lord in praise! Certainly an emotional high. 

But then, negativity crept in. The pendulum started to swing. Some of the older Israelites weren’t nearly as happy about this foundation being laid. Why? They were old enough to remember Solomon’s temple from before the years of exile, and they could already tell by comparison that this new temple would not measure up to its size and splendor. In addition, some of them may have been sad to stand there reliving the memories of Solomon’s beautiful temple burning to ash. Perhaps a flood of memories came rushing back into their hearts and minds as they thought about everything they’d lost in the years of exile. When Babylon conquered Jerusalem, the commander of the imperial guard had acted decisively and destructively. 

He set fire to the temple of the Lord, the royal palace and all the houses of Jerusalem. Every important building he burned down. -2 Kings 25:9

So in the midst of the joyful singing, there was also mourning. 

But many of the older priests and Levites and family heads, who had seen the former temple, wept aloud when they saw the foundation of this temple being laid, while many others shouted for joy. -Ezra 3:12

Have you ever felt joy and sadness at the same time? Or did you have a day/week/month recently where everything was going smoothly at work, but things seemed to be falling apart at home? Living in our fallen world can be confusing. Is it okay to feel conflicting emotions? Furthermore, is it okay to communicate those conflicting emotions to God? YES. Not only is it okay to express ourselves honestly and openly before the Lord, but we can do it with loud voices. This verse amazes me as Ezra 3 continues…

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. -Ezra 3:13

I take two main lessons from this: 

1. My praise can continue in the midst of disappointment, sadness and unmet expectations. Even when my circumstances are frustrating, my joy in the Lord can remain. The joy of the Lord is my strength (Nehemiah 8:10)! In the middle of struggle, God offers peace, stability and provision. I can stay joyful! And who knows, maybe my joy will end up drowning out my sadness. 
2. God is ready and able to hear and accept all of my thoughts, questions and emotions. I don’t need to keep things bottled up inside. If I feel happy, I can praise so loudly that my sound is heard far away! If I feel sad, angry, anxious or confused, I can take that honestly and openly to God, too. Take a quick read through the short book of Habakkuk sometime, and you’ll see a powerful example of somebody who took his confusion and questions straight to God. He did not mince his words to the Lord. With honesty, he asked everything that was on his mind. How did this work out for him? His questions ultimately led him to a deeper walk with God. 

If you feel all tangled up in your life circumstances and emotions, take heart. Take your questions to God, and just keep on praising in the meantime. 

Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior. The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to go on the heights. -Habakkuk 3:17-19