Ezra 1:1 “Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia,…”
PROPHECY FULFILLED
Jeremiah had prophesied that the Babylonian captivity would last 70 years. Well, here we are, at the end of those seven decades. What happens? Cyrus fulfills the prophecy by returning many of the exiles to Jerusalem. But not only that, Cyrus helps rebuild and reopen the temple.
When God says something, you can bank on it. Now it took 70 years. I imagine many of those who were taken into exile died in Babylon. Their children and grandchildren had heard the stories of the promised return prophesied by Jeremiah. It finally happened, just as Jeremiah said it would.
TEACHING MOMENT
What a great promise to teach our children. We can’t put a clock on God’s promises. He may take decades to deliver what He has promised. We may not see His promises fulfilled this side of glory. But when God says something, we can be assured it will come to pass.
The problem is our children (and us too) are impatient. We are more impatient than ever. How many times have you stood at a microwave and tapped your foot waiting on that “slow thing”? How about getting frustrated with the rotating hour glass on your computer screen. 30 seconds seems like a lifetime, doesn’t it? God doesn’t work on our timetable.
Will you allow the Lord to work – no matter how long it takes? Let Him teach you in the silence. Allow Him to prepare you for the fulfillment of His promises. Have you ever thought about the fact that just maybe God is prolonging the answered prayer because you just can’t handle it yet? Yield to Him. That might just speed up the process.
A Moment In Time 