Getting It Done

In the first verse of the first chapter of the book of Ezra, we find an interesting if somewhat innocuous statement. Ezra, telling the story of the return of the Judean exiles from Babylon, writes, "Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia" (1:1a, KJV). For our purposes, it is sufficient to note that Cyrus II was the king under whom the captivity of the Jews ended. During the first year of his reign, he was prompted by God to make a decree that the temple in Jerusalem should be rebuilt and that those Jews who wanted to return to their land could do so. In addition, he sent back the sacred vessels that had been taken from the First Temple and quite a bit of money to buy building materials.

Nearly 150 years before King Cyrus was born, God declared to the prophet Isaiah that He would raise up this king to rebuild His city. Interestingly, at the time of Isaiah, Jerusalem was prospering and would not be destroyed for another 100 years by Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. In Isaiah 44 we read, "Thus saith the LORD . . . that saith of Cyrus, he is my shepherd, and shall perform all my pleasure: even saying to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be built; and to the temple, Thy foundation shall be laid" (vv. 24a, 28). Cyrus himself would proclaim and had put in writing, "The LORD God of heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth; and He hath charged me to build Him an house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Who is there among you of all his people? his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and build the house of the LORD God of Israel, (He is the God,) which is in Jerusalem" (Ezra 1:2-3; 2 Chron. 36:22-23).

But what is so important about the portion of the verse quoted in the first paragraph above? In it we see the faithfulness of God in ensuring the fulfillment of His word. The verse tells us that over 150 years AFTER He first said it, "that the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia." Jeremiah had prophesied that the Jews would be in Babylonian captivity for 70 years (Jeremiah 25:11), and this was exactly how long they were there. The application for us should be self-evident. Whatever God promises, He can cause to happen. Sometimes it is easy to see our success as linked to those in authority – a manager, supervisor, pastor, to name a few – and we sometimes try to gain their favour. Yet, we are reminded that "the king's heart is in the hand of the LORD; He directs it like a watercourse wherever He pleases" (Proverbs 21:1). Even if those in charge do not like us, the child of God can rest assured that at the time of His choosing He can stir up the spirit of our adversaries to do for us what He wants done. Our lives are in His hands; He alone has the final word.

What has He promised you? Does it seem like a very long time ago? Not to worry. He will do whatever is necessary to bring it to pass.