I was reading in Ezra this morning about the Jews' process of building their second Temple, which was actually a re-building on the foundation of the first. Solomon directed the building of the first Temple; but, it was destroyed when His errant people were herded off to Babylonian captivity for 70 years. When the Babylonians were overthrown by the Persians, King Cyrus not only gave permission for the Jews returning to Jerusalem to rebuild the Temple, he ordered it. In Ezra 1:2, we read that God spoke to him and appointed him to do this. Later, in the book of Nehemiah (which many regard as II Ezra), Nehemiah (living in Babylon and working there as the cup-bearer to the Persian king Artaxerxes) petitioned the king to allow the rebuilding of Jerusalem's outer wall. This was an important move to re-establish the chosen ones in their promised land, in order to help to fortify the city and protect it from neighboring warmongers.
Both of these works were not, however, linear progressions, free from obstacles. If you read Nehemiah and Ezra, you will see various examples of the opposition that those involved in the reconstruction of the Temple and the city wall faced. Here are a few:
Read Ezra 4:1-6, 24; Nehemiah 2:10, 19; 4:1-3, 7-9; 6:1-9.
The adversity was fierce! Work on the Temple even totally stopped for about 10 years. During that time, Cyrus passed the throne on to Darius; and, when appealed to, Darius had to go look in the archives to find the original order for the Temple to be rebuilt. But, it was found; work resumed; the Temple was eventually finished. Does this look like an unblemished, trouble-free accomplishment? In the case of the city wall, the opposition was so intense that Nehemiah, who was overseeing that work, had to post half of his workers to serve as make-shift armed guards. The opposers were attempting to tear down what had been built as soon as it was done. Other tactics they used were criticism, ridicule, attempted kidnapping, threats of bodily harm to Nehemiah, accusatory letters to the king of Persia, etc.
I did a study of Nehemiah several years ago (Andy Stanley's Visioneering), when I was pursuing an elusive career goal in the face of opposition. One of the things I learned was that, when he was frustrated and persecuted by adversaries, Nehemiah prayed. In Nehemiah 6:9, for example, we read:
They were all trying to frighten us, thinking, "Their hands will get too weak for the work, and it will not be completed.'" But, I prayed, "Now, strengthen my hands."
Any God-ordained work for His kingdom WILL be opposed. You can count on it. Friends of mine are fulfilling God's call to plant a church in what is called the "mid-city" area of New Orleans. When the man, his wife, and their 3 small children arrived at their rented home, it "wasn't ready", they were told. Well, a week later it wasn't ready either. Opposition! Those living there really did not want a bunch of Christians moving into their midst! But, God had other plans. The family did move in and the church plant has started. Praise Him! Was this a linear progression, trouble-free and "full of bluebirds and happiness"?
A linear progression, a straight line from Point A to Point B, is what we desire. However, that does not reflect the cosmic battle in which we are engaged. (Whether you are a Christian or not, you are engaged in this battle. The crucial question is, "On which side are you fighting?") It is because of the battle that our work for God's kingdom does not proceed without set-backs, Beloved. This does not indicate that our God is weak, but rather that He is shown strong through our obedience. A skirmish may not go the way we wished. We may pray as hard as we can for linear movement. But, God is in control. We must trust Him, and press on to the next skirmish in the cosmic battle. We KNOW we are on the winning side, in the end.
Yesterday, I was listening to the sermon that evangelist E.V. Hill preached at his wife's funeral service. (My sister-in-faith, Barrie Cae had posted it on Facebook.) He talked about how he had asked God to heal his wife of her liver cancer and how the answer he received from God was "Trust Me."
So, Christian, wherever you are in your life, you are either in the midst of a skirmish, just coming out of one, in a period of relative calm or about to enter another skirmish. Remember, when those trials come - - - press on in faith! Ask God to strengthen your hands for the task you've been assigned by Him. And, trust Him with the outcome. He is in you and with you and FOR you - - - our Everlasting, Faithful, Sovereign God. "Faithful is He who called you, who also will do it." (I Thessalonians 5:24)
Precious Father, thank you for cheering my heart each morning through Your Holy Word. Your words are spirit and they are life! (John 6:63). I love You, Lord. In Jesus' name, amen.
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