God's Resources Are Not Limited To What We Hold In Our Hands

Ezra 1:7-8 -  Moreover, King Cyrus brought out the articles belonging to the temple of the LORD, which Nebuchadnezzar had carried away from Jerusalem and had placed in the temple of his god.  Cyrus king of Persia had them brought by Mithredath the treasurer, who counted them out to Sheshbazzar the prince of Judah.

 

Jeremiah had prophesied that God’s punishment and judgment of his people would only last 70 years.  It was foretold that a king named Cyrus would be used of God to rebuild the Temple in Isaiah 44:28. God stirred the heart of this heathen king to not just release the Jews and send them home…but to also give back all the vessels of gold and silver that Nebuchadnezzar had taken when he destroyed the Temple of God.

 

The two tribes of Judah and Benjamin were the only ones that had the courage and faith to make the trip.  The slaves had been treated well…given freedoms within the area they were confined to…many rising to power and roles of influence under the Babylonian rule.  The ten other tribes were so comfortable in the wealth they had acquired that they were unsure of their heritage…and chose to stay in Babylon.

 

But God rose up in the leaders and priests of Judah and Benjamin…and these people returned to face hardship and hard labor restoring the temple. They let go of their comfortable lifestyles to return home and worship God in freedom once more. They did not return empty handed…they carried with them all the gold and silver that Nebuchadnezzar had taken.

 

It is a reminder to me that God’s power is not limited to the resources we have in our hands alone. God has access to everything that exists in the world…he can use anyone and anything to bring his will about. Our human imaginations never fully grasp the reality that God’s vision for our life is bigger than what we are able to perceive. Just like Abraham…who had to look up at the stars in the sky to see God’s vision…we need to dream bigger than the human picture we sometimes conceive in our hearts.

 

Father...I thank you for the reminder that you are in control of every resource on Earth and Heaven.  I am awed every day at the way you provide for me…so much that I could never find words to truly thank you properly.  Open my heart and eyes and ears to see more of the bigger picture that you have put together to prosper me and give me a great future.  Help me to trust and have the faith I need to step out and believe that everything will work together for my good…even when I don’t dream big enough. Amen.