1 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:
2 “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. 3 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.
It’s a lot easier to say you trust God than it is to live as if you really do. You may know that your neighbor needs to hear the Good News about Jesus—but what if she thinks you’re being too pushy? Or you may feel God calling you to quit your job and go into a full-time position at your church—but what if you can’t make enough to support yourself? You’d be amazed at how God can take a little bit of faith and make it grow.
Follow Ezra’s lead and see what happens when you humble yourself before God and take the risk of faith.
