God Is Faithful & Restores
After 70 years of exile, God Fulfils His Promise to return His people to their homeland. Under His direction, King Cyrus of Persia now rules Babylonia, and the Jews are free to go home. The first group of returnees rebuild the temple in Jerusalem (Ezra 1-6). 58 years later, Ezra leads a second group back to Jerusalem to rebuild the spiritual character of the people (Ezra 7-10).
By returning to the land of Israel fr Babylon, the Jews showed their faith in God’s promise to restore them as a people. They returned not only to their homeland; but also to the place where their fore- fathers had promised to follow God. Friends, Father God also shows His mercy to every generation. And He compassionately restores His pple. No matter how difficult our present “captivity,” we are never far from His love and mercy. For He will restore us when we return to Him. Lord, we Trust You Are In Control. Lord, we’ll Use Gifts for Kingdom. Lord, we’ll Not Fear but Praise You. In Jesus’ precious name we pray.
Lord, we Trust the world In Yr Hands: To fulfil the word of the Lord spoken by Jeremiah, the Lord moved the heart of Cyrus to make proclamatn: Thus says Cyrus king of Persia: All the kingdoms of the earth the Lord God of heaven has given me. And He has commanded me to build Him a house at Jerusalem(Ezra1:1-2) God stirred the hearts of the priests and Levites and the leaders of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin to go to Jerusalem to rebuild the Temple of the Lord (Ezra 1:5). Lord, You enabled Cyrus to conquer the Babylonians and guided Cyrus to allow Judah return to their home -land to fulfil Jeremiah’s prophecy. Remind us Lord to trust that You are actively at work even when we may not be able to see how. Lord, stir up people to come to You for that’s where true security can be found. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Lord, we’ll Use Gifts for Kingdom: So a total of 42,360 people returned to Judah, in addition to 7337 servants and 200 singers… When they arrived at the Temple of the Lord… some of the leaders gave generously toward the rebuilding of God’s Temple… and each leader gave as much as he could. The total of their gifts came to 61,000 gold coins, 6250 pounds of silver & 100 robes for the priests (Ezra 2:64-69). Lord, we realise that generosity is a strong mark of Faithfulness. We also realise God’s servants need dedication, perseverance and generosity in furthering His work. Help us Lord volunteer cheerfully and use the gifts God has given us in His service. In Jesus’ name, Amen
Lord, we’ll Not Fear but Praise You. With praise and thanksgiving they sang to the Lord: He is good; His love to Israel endures forever. And all the people have a great shout of praise to the Lord, because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid (Ez3:11) Lord, You are Almighty, far above all things; and Your presence is greater than anything we fear. For Faith in You and in Your Word will conquer all challenges in our lives. Help us Lord when we struggle or doubt; to make praise the first response to fearful situations. Help us not to dwell on problems but instead praise Yr mighty name. And as we praise and thank You Help us by taking away our fear and instead give us peace. Amen.