Ezra 1-4

May 20

Ezra 1-4

God can use whoever He wants to use to accomplish His will. God put it on the heart of Cyrus, a Persian king, to allow any of the Jewish people who wanted to go back to Jerusalem and to rebuild the temple to go. He returned the articles Nebuchadnezzar had carried from Jerusalem and put in his temples.

Just because God opened the doors for the Jewish people to return to Jerusalem and to restore worship, does not mean He did not allow opposition. The priest built an altar and began to burn the prescribed offerings before the Lord, but the people who had occupied the land began to oppose them and stir up trouble. The Jewish people built the foundation for the temple, but their enemies frustrated them from continuing the building project. They even hired counselors to help intimidate them and keep them from continuing the work God had given them to complete.

Just because we are doing what God has called us to do, does not mean we will not face opposition. God does not promise us an opposition free life. Often when we are doing the very things God has called us to do is when we will face the most opposition. God calls us to persevere through the challenges.

"Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when you stood your ground in a great contest in the face of suffering. Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution; at other times you stood side by side with those who were so treated. You sympathized with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions. So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised." (Hebrews 10:32-36, NIV)

As we seek God’s will, He will not only reveal His will for us, He will empower us to persevere through the trials and challenges we face in attempting to complete the task He has called us to complete. There will be opposition, but as long as we keep our eyes and our faith on God, we will be empowered to stand strong and to complete the task.