This past week was the start of Hello Morning’s new study, The Dwelling Place of God. It is truly worth checking out, and I have provided links to both the site and the study in bold. The lessons brought from both Ezra and Haggai are timely for these days we are living.
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“In the first year of King Cyrus of Persian the Lord fulfilled the prophecy he had given through Jeremiah. He stirred the heart of Cyrus to put this proclamation in writing and to send it throughout his kingdom.” (Ezra 1:1, NLT)
Two thoughts came from the very first words from this ancient prophet:
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God will always fulfill His Word. If He said it, He will do it. It will come to pass.
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God stirs the hearts of rulers. Whether they know Him or not, He can still stir on their hearts.
Our God is sovereign. He is never without complete knowledge and power over all things. No situation is out of His control.
As we face days where gathering together may look differently than we would like, may we remember we can worship Him wherever we are.
“Worship: Where God isn’t moved by the quality of our voice but by the condition of our hearts.” (Chris Tomlin)
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We spent time reading Ezra 2:1-2a, and then verses 64-70. Here we find the exiles – God’s people – finally returning to their homeland. Seventy years have passed since they were taken captive.
Seventy years.
Let that sink in. As I sat looking at those words (seventy years), I realized for many of us, that is a lifetime. It is a long time to be in captivity – in a situation one doesn’t want to be in.
Yet they remained faithful and held onto hope. How did they do it? By holding onto God Himself – the very source of hope …
“I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 15:13, NLT)
Sometimes our circumstances seem long and appear as if they will never end. But God is with us and will bring beauty and purpose from all of it. In His time. In His way.
Hold onto hope!
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We brought this first week to a close with reading Ezra 3:8-13, and it was a thought provoking passage!
The events of our life are connected. One thing leads to another and nothing is by happenstance.
These captives had finally been brought back to their homeland. God’s dwelling place was being rebuilt.
Yet many of the older priests were not joyful. They wept at the sight of the new foundation.
Things may look different for us at this time, but the one thing that has not changed and never will, is our God. He remains the same. Constant and unchanging.
As I read the Scriptures in Ezra, I felt reminded of these Scriptures as well:
“But forget all that – it is nothing compared to what I am going to do. For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.” (Isaiah 43:18-19, NLT)
May we be like those who shouted for joy as they saw what God was doing. May we be filled with “anticipatory joy” as He does a new thing, for He is making new pathways for us in the wilderness. May we praise Him and be grateful for what He is doing in this moment!
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Worship –
it will fill us with hope and
anticipatory joy!
Photo by Bonnie Kittle on Unsplash
Today I am joining …
Joanne, this is such a beautiful post. I love the truths you’ve drawn out and shared. We need to remember that God always, ALWAYS keeps His word. In His way and in His timing, but He always keeps it. What reassurance that brings.
And hope . . . He is the God of Hope. I’m so thankful He is our source and provider and the One who loves us most.
It’s hard to fathom being in the Israelite’s circumstances in that era being exiled for 70 years, and then the hard work of rebuilding. But He always gives hope.