Ezra: The Lord HelpsSample

God delights in turning around apparently ‘impossible’ situations. He loves to act when everything seems lost with no apparent way to change circumstances. It is then that God is glorified as the unmistakable architect of events. Knowing that should give us the determination to keep plodding away at building the kingdom of God, even when (and especially when) everything seems lost. 

In Tattenai’s letter to King Darius (Ezra 5), we discovered that God’s people refused to stop rebuilding the temple because they had been given permission to do so by Cyrus, the previous king of Persia. Wanting to check out these claims, the officials of Trans-Euphrates asked King Darius to search his records (5:17). Now Darius does just that (v. 1). 

Darius finds a scroll (v. 2), which confirms that King Cyrus had indeed authorized the building of the temple (vv. 3–5). But that’s not all he discovers in this ancient document. King Cyrus also decreed that the costs of rebuilding the temple were to be met by the royal treasury (v. 4). That is a game-changer! King Darius writes back to the officials of Trans-Euphrates, telling them not to interfere with the building work (vv. 6–7). More than that, he decrees that they are to do whatever the Jews want (vv. 8–10). 

See how the sovereignty of God is brilliantly at work? See God ruling over and watching over His people (5:1, 5)?

The Trans-Euphrates officials were meddling and trying to stop the work of God, but the Lord wonderfully overrules their opposition. Not only is the work on the temple permitted to continue, but it is paid for by the royal treasury of an unbelieving king. Those who tried to stop the work end up funding it. The people of God are given not only state money to rebuild the temple but state protection as they rebuild it (vv. 11– 12). The officials of Trans-Euphrates diligently obey King Darius’s decree (v. 13) and the work of rebuilding the temple is completed (vv. 14–15). 

A previous vicar of mine used to say, ‘The devil always overstretches himself.’ Here we see how God takes the evil schemes of men and uses them for His good purposes. He did that at the cross. We can be sure He can do it today.

Reflection

Ask God to give you deep confidence in His sovereign ability to overturn attempts to block His work, and the determination to keep on building His kingdom. Pray about a situation where it seems impossible for gospel work to flourish, asking God to powerfully overrule for the glory and honor of His name