If He Speaks It

Read: Ezra 1
“2 Thus says Cyrus king of Persia…” Ezra 1:2

Examine:
On this day Cyrus, king of Persia, arose with a stirring inside of him that was unexplainable. He was not a servant of God and yet he arose and decreed that the people of God be released to return to Jerusalem and rebuild their temple. When Cyrus did this two amazing things happened. First, Isaiah’s words, which were recorded 150 years earlier in Isaiah 45, were fulfilled. He called Cyrus by name in this passage and told that he would be the one God used to rebuild the temple. Second, the words of Jeremiah that said Israel would be released to return from exile after 70 years were fulfilled.

Apply:
God is in control. That is the cry I hear in my heart this morning as I read this passage. He appoints the right person at the right time to accomplish His purposes. I spend far too much time assessing the odds and weighing the costs. I just need to pursue God and trust the results. God uses people in His plans but ultimately it is His plans that are played out.

Pray:
It is amazing to me to think about Your greatness today. There are times when life feels overwhelming and honestly You feel quite distant. I long for things that are not possible. I stand in the place where I am today and I am broken by the state of Your saints here. Your judgment on this place is unmistakable, but I am also stirred by the judgment that has to be stored up for the church and the wealthy because of the blind eye we have turned to the suffering of the poor and needy. You created abundance in our accounts so that we might have the honor of using it to help restore hope and life to people who have none. But, we have wasted it.

I look at the world I come from and compare it to the world I walk in today and I am sickened. What I would not give to have all the resources I have wasted in my life returned to me so that I might be able to invest it in the lives of Your saints who are at work here. I am thankful that Your grace covers my mistakes and that Your power has the capacity to restore what has been wasted.

I ask that Your Spirit stir again today as it stirred with Cyrus. I pray that people awaken today with a desire to give what has been stored up to faithful men and women who are dedicated to restoring Your promises to those who have no means of hope. If You speak it, it will be done. That is what I ask today. Please speak on behalf of the saints here. Please pour out the resources that are necessary to rebuild Your kingdom here and undo the damage caused by those who falsely claim Your name. I ask that You prove Your glory and make Your anointing unmistakable.