The
Lord Moved The Heart Of Cyrus
In the first year of
Cyrus king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the Lord spoken by
Jeremiah, the Lord moved the heart of Cyrus king of Persia to make a
proclamation throughout his realm and also to put it in writing:
“This is what Cyrus king of Persia says:
“‘The Lord, the God of
heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and he has appointed me to
build a temple for him at Jerusalem in Judah. Any of his people among you may go up to
Jerusalem in Judah and build the temple of the Lord, the God of Israel, the God
who is in Jerusalem, and may their God be with them. And in any locality where
survivors may now be living, the people are to provide them with silver and
gold, with goods and livestock, and with freewill offerings for the temple of
God in Jerusalem.’”
Ezra
1:1-4
In 1879, archaeologists
discovered the Cyrus Cylinder. It was just nine inches long and it records
something that King Cyrus of Persia did 2,500 years ago. It was discovered in
Babylon, now Iraq. It says King Cyrus allowed a group of people to return to
their homeland and build their “holy cities.”
Together, the Cyrus
Cylinder and God’s Word combine to show us that the king’s heart was changed
and he allowed the exiled Hebrews to go home and worship.
This story has great
implications for us today. In a world that seems out of control, we can rest
assured that God can move the hearts of leaders.
The Lord, who is able to
change our own hearts as well as our leaders’, can be trusted for He is in
control. Let’s ask Him to work.
Rather
than complain, pray.
Our
Daily Bread – July 4, 2015