Moby Dick narrates Captain Ahab's obsessive pursuit of a great white whale. First mate Starbuck understood the risk, saying, ″I will have no man in my boat who isn't afraid of a whale.″ He knew that ″an utterly fearless man [was] a far more dangerous comrade than a coward″. A sailor who isn't afraid might become careless and put the whole boat in danger.

Perhaps you've grappled with your stuck situation by telling yourself that in the big scheme of things, it's not that important. It's just one relationship, one job, one missed opportunity. Life goes on. This may be true, and helpful to remember. Your fear may have lifted as you put it in this perspective. But if we're not careful, our lack of fear could make us careless. We might become sloppy and put others at risk. We might not fear our situation, but there is something we must fear.

The situation in Jerusalem seemed insignificant. A small band of settlers were staring at a half-finished temple. Haggai calls them ″the whole remnant″ (Haggai 1:12), which sounds pathetic, like ″large fragment″ or ″leftovers″. The stakes seemed small. So what if their temple remained unfinished?

Their little project mattered because God said it mattered. He commanded them to get up and get moving, and the bedraggled group obeyed because they ″feared the Lord″ (v. 12). They weren't impressed with their assignment; they were impressed with the One who gave it. That made all the difference.

How do we learn to fear the Lord? By remembering who He is and what He has done. Israel was commanded to regularly assemble to hear the Scriptures, ″so that they can listen and learn to fear the Lord″ (Deuteronomy 31:11-12). We learn to fear the Lord by reading the Bible and gathering with God's people to worship Him and hear His Word. The more we know the Lord, the more we would fear Him.

How can we tell whether we fear the Lord? Simple. Are we doing what He says? The remnant obeyed the Lord because they feared Him. If obedience rises from fearing the Lord, then obedience is the surest way to know we do.

Here's the best part. When the people feared the Lord, He ″stirred up . . . the spirit of the whole remnant″ (Haggai 1:14). We aren't responsible to motivate ourselves, supply our own pep talk, or marinate ourselves in positive thoughts. We only need to look up from our muddle and fear the Lord. He will stir our hearts.