Unlikely Ally

Oct. 11

Read: Ezra 1:1-4

Unlikely Ally

“…the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom and also put it in writing…” (v.1)

I think we underestimate how active the Lord is in the lives of “non-believers” / outside “his people” / those who do not confess faith in God. As “normal” as it is to think of God “stirring up” our spirit as his children; we lose sight of the fact that he is working ALL around… even in and through those who do not know him or proclaim him as Lord. God is accomplishing his work not only through us as his children, but also through those we would least expect.

This truth is born out in Cyrus king of Persia. The Persians had conquered the known world. Cyrus is the king of the greatest empire at that time, having conquered both the Babylonians and Assyrians as well as absorbed the Medes. God “stirred up the spirit” of this “pagan” king to fulfill prophecy from Jeremiah and continue HIS divine plan of redemption for the people of God. It is sobering and important to be reminded that God truly holds the hearts of rulers, kings, leaders, and authorities in the palm of his hand.

How often we discount God’s broad activity within humanity. Our expectation is that WE are the only ones experiencing his work. What if we began to presume that God was working in EVERYONE in some way or another. (At the very least, “all things are being held together in Christ Jesus” cf. Col. 1) This IS NOT to say everyone is saved… or that everyone is a “Christian”… NOT AT ALL. What I do want us to comprehend is that the work of the Lord is so much broader than we think, and the means by which he will bring about his plan are most likely not what we would expect. NO ONE was expecting the king of the new foreign oppressor to turn out to be sympathetic to the people of God. No one was expecting the Persians of the empire to start giving gold, silver, money, and resources to establish a temple for the one true and living God. As God’s people we be must be reminded of the limitless nature of God’s provision and the creative ways HE will bring it about. We ought to view those outside of the family of God as ones whom the Lord is stirring and working in to bring about HIS plan.

How have you limited God’s scope? Do you presume that God has nothing to do with the “pagan kings'' of today? Do you think Persia’s victory over Babylon was initially “good news” to the people of God? - It probably was not! They could not see and had no reason to expect the ways in which God would work. God holds the hearts of today's leaders in the same way. We cannot always see how the conquest of “foreign nations” could lead to the completion of God’s plan. What if we began to act as if God was stirring the spirits of the “pagan kings'' and non-believers around us? Excited to work through this new book with you all. Love you guys! - JDP