Ezra 1:1
“Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he sent a proclamation throughout his kingdom, and also put it in writing, saying:”.
This passage reminds me of Proverbs 21:1, “The king’s heart is a waterway in the hand of the LORD; He directs it where He pleases.” His proclamation is that he intends to build a house of worship for the Lord. This is a great truth of how God directs people. Usually this happens without the leaders awareness. I’m sure Daniel pointed this out to king Cyrus.
Here is Isaiah’s prediction over two hundred years before it would happen, “who says of Cyrus, ‘My shepherd will fulfill all that I desire,’ who says of Jerusalem, ‘She will be rebuilt,’ and of the temple, ‘Let its foundation be laid.’”, (Isaiah 44:28). Amazing.
God does this to demonstrate His power and to provide confidence in His Word. It certainly helped with me. People may state that the bible is only one of the holy books in the world. However, it’s the only one with this type of predictive prophecy. God provides enough evidence for us to trust Him. Thank You, God.
I’ve heard Chuck Swindoll speak about the Proverbs 21 passage. His comment was “As it is with the king, so it is with the commoner”. God plants ideas in our minds. Sometimes we are aware of this, but usually not. I would say He does more with His children. That’s because we have crowned Him as our Lord and we ask for His guidance.
He guides in other ways. Sometimes it’s a check in our spirits. We get a pause. That’s the time to toss up a prayer and ask for His guidance. Sometimes it’s as simple as saying, “Lord, I had intended to do this. If that’s a bad idea can You close the door?”
The primary way that He guides is through His Word, the bible. However, we face many choices which aren’t moral or in the bible. Where we will live, which job to take and so on. Sometimes He leaves that up to us, other times He influences us.
He also guides with desire. Psalm 37:4 says, “Delight yourself in the LORD, and He will give you the desires of your heart.” He can put that desire there and He can fulfill it. Philippians 2:13 further says, “For it is God who is at work in you, both to desire and to work for His good pleasure”. This is amazing. I can recall being a young christian and thinking that God’s will was miserable. I’d do it for salvation purposes, but it wouldn’t be fun. How wrong I was.
Here are Jesus Words, “Come to Me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. For My yoke is comfortable, and My burden is light”, (Matthew 11:28-30).
Lord, thank You for today’s passage. It’s connected to prophecy which allows us to put confidence in You and Your Word. It also shows us how You guide us. We are so privileged to be in relationship with You. Thank You.