Through the Bible: EzraSample
God is on Top of It
And the elders of the Jews built and prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo. They finished their building by decree of the God of Israel and by decree of Cyrus and Darius and Artaxerxes king of Persia; and this house was finished on the third day of the month of Adar, in the sixth year of the reign of Darius the king.
Ezra 6:14-15 (ESV)
Many times, when God puts a desire in our hearts to do something, we take it upon ourselves that it would be up to us to find a way to complete the task.
The Israelites were rebuilding the temple in Jerusalem and they met opposition, forcing them to stop until a royal decree by King Cyrus of Persia was uncovered. The Persian king even ordered the building cost for the temple be paid out from the royal revenue.
God stirred up the spirit of King Cyrus to decree the rebuilding of the temple years before the opposition came because God is on top of every task that He asks His children to do. Our Heavenly Father has the best strategy for every life challenge that we face and when we spend time to seek His wise counsel, we will be fighting our battle from victory.
Prayer
Dear Heavenly Father, we thank You that You are our help and defender. We love You and we pray that the Holy Spirit will help us to know Your heart and Your plans for us. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
About this Plan
The book of Ezra covers the Jewish history following the Babylonian exile. Chapters 1-6 recount how Zerubbabel led the Jews to return and rebuild the temple in Jerusalem in 538 BC. Chapters 7-10 narrate how Ezra led another group to return and restore the practices of Torah as a community in 458 BC. This book gives encouragement to anyone who returns from captivity of sins to freedom in God’s house.
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