EZRA - Promises, Promises

New Year’s Eve – December 31, 1999.

The world was sitting on the brink of a new year, a new century, a new millennium.

And they were waiting for technological disaster.

Remember?

Y2K!

The dreaded computer glitch that would supposedly happen when two-digit dating in ascending order – 97, 98, 99 – suddenly reset at 00.

People were convinced that the world would come to its knees.

It never did.

Was that because people took precautions and circumvented the disaster? Or because in the end, it was a lot of hype? Hard to say.

But – bottom line – it was a prediction that didn’t come true.

Today I want to tell you about another prediction. A prediction given by the prophet Isaiah. A prediction given by God, through Isaiah.

And of course, it came true.

"When I say of Cyrus, 'He is my shepherd,' he will certainly do as I say. He will command, 'Rebuild Jerusalem'; he will say, 'Restore the Temple.'"

(Isaiah 44:26)

It’s an amazing prediction – when you consider these facts:

• It was predicted over 100 years before it happened

• Cyrus had not been born yet

• The Persian Empire had not yet come into power

• The Israelites had not yet been taken away into exile

• Jerusalem and its glorious Temple were still standing

Did the people scoff at Isaiah? Did they think him a fool?

And yet…everything happened just as he foretold - just as GOD foretold.

Today’s "Bible Pick ‘Ems" comes from the book of Ezra – and it tells of the fulfillment of this prediction.

Drum roll, please…

"In the first year of King Cyrus of Persia, the LORD fulfilled the prophecy…He stirred the heart of Cyrus to put this proclamation in writing and to send it throughout his kingdom…Then God stirred the hearts of the priests and Levites and the tribes of Judah and Benjamin to go to Jerusalem to build the Temple of the LORD." (Ezra 1:1, 5)

You know what I love about these verses?

God fulfilled His prophecy.

God stirred Cyrus to proclaim His plan.

God moved the hearts of His people to accomplish His purpose.

I am inspired by these three principles –

1. Every single one of God’s predictions and promises come true.

He can be counted on to be faithful to His Word.

2. Every single one of God’s plans will be accomplished.

He can be counted on to be faithful to His Will.

3. Every single one of God’s people will be empowered to do what He has called them to do. He can be counted on to be faithful to His Work.

When you face difficult situations and feel discouraged, it’s important to remember who God is.

He keeps His promises.

He accomplishes His plans.

He empowers His people to fulfill His purposes.

He knows what will happen – and He is in total control of the future.

What promises are you still looking forward to?

Believe it – they’re going to come true!!

The Bible tells us so…

(Today I am linked with Super Sunday, hosted by Peggy, and Spiritual Sundays, hosted by Charlotte and Ginger)

"When in doubt, search God out!"

AMOS - Shaken, But Not Stirred

“Will you pray for me?” my friend asked me the other day.

Fearing something terrible, I answered, “Of course I will, what’s wrong?”

She went on to explain. There wasn’t any earth-shattering horror in her life. No deadly disease, no financial mishap, no terrible loss. There wasn’t any BIG thing in her life. It was just…well, her life.

She went on to explain how unsettled she was feeling, how unsteady and unsure. How previous goals seemed unclear, and earlier dreams felt unmet. How a straight and narrow path now felt crooked and directionless. How the clarity of purpose she had as a younger person, now felt blurry and indistinct. How she just didn’t know what she was feeling, what she was supposed to be doing, where she should be headed – how she felt unnerved, unsure, uncertain...

“Oh,” I said. “You mean you’re feeling life queasy.”

“What?” she replied. “Life queasy?”

“You know, that feeling you get on a boat out at sea. The pitching and rolling just has you off-kilter. A little uneasy and uncomfortable. You can’t quite get your bearings. Except you feel this way about your life. Life queasy.”

She smiled. “Yeah, that’s exactly it.”

Do you ever feel this way?

Like a towel in a washing machine? All mixed up and disoriented?

It’s not a great feeling for anyone to feel, but especially for a Christian, I think. After all, we know the God of Wisdom and Purpose. We should have clear direction in our lives, we say to ourselves. We should have peace.

But we don’t – we feel distressed. We feel…shaken.

Today’s “Bible Pick ‘Ems” comes from the book of Amos, a prophet who knew a thing or two about being shaken up!

Surely Amos was a faithful man, a person whose life was devoted to God. But he was a simple shepherd and fig grower. He wasn’t the son of a prophet – not the son of a priest.

However, God had a purpose for Amos – a purpose that probably made him feel life queasy.

God took Amos from his homeland in the southern kingdom of Judah, and sent him to denounce the social and religious corruption of the northern kingdom of Israel. Amos obeyed God.

And though his message brought pronouncements of God’s judgment on Israel, it also brought the promise of restoration. Today’s verses bring a word of tremendous reassurance:

“For I will give the command and will shake Israel along with the other nations as grain is shaken in a sieve, yet not one true kernel will be lost.” (Amos 9:9)

Though these words were directed toward the nation of Israel, I think we can apply them to our lives. Sometimes God needs to do some shaking up. Sometimes He needs to “unsettle” us.

But always remember – God wants to redeem, not punish. He wants to purify, not destroy.

He wants to make us holy.

So God will always care more about our character than our comfort.

What can we hold on to when we’re being shaken?

The promise: The faithful will not be forgotten. True believers will not be lost.

God shakes those He loves.

“You have tested us, O God; you have purified us like silver.” (Psalm 66:10)

“I will bring [them] through the fire and make them pure. I will refine them like silver and purify them like gold.” (Zechariah 13:9)

“When in doubt, search God out!”

JEREMIAH - You Will Be Saved!

Ever get tired of watching the news?

The world is not a place of “good news” anymore, is it? It’s often a frightening place.

Today’s “Bible Pick ‘Ems” sounds like it could have come “fresh off the presses” just in time for this morning’s Sunday edition:

“This is what the LORD says: ‘I hear cries of fear; there is terror and no peace…In all history there has never been such a time of terror. It will be a time of trouble for my people…Yet in the end they will be saved!’” (Jeremiah 30:5, 7)

Jeremiah was one of God’s great prophets.

Jeremiah was known as the “weeping prophet” because he was often moved to tears over the rebellion of God’s people.

He was called by God to speak to the southern kingdom of Judah. He faithfully confronted the nation’s leaders and the Israelite people with their sin. He prophesied both their 70-year captivity in Babylon, and their eventual return from exile.

His message doesn’t sound too different than what we hear today!

It is a time of fear and terror.

Economies are collapsing, weird illnesses and unusual diseases are appearing, people are starving, and nations are warring. In the post 9/11 world, “terror” has taken on a new meaning. It could be rightly said that “in all history there has never been such a time of terror.” (verse 7)

Where should we turn? To whom should we go?

Go to God…

He is our Leader.

God returned His chosen people to their land. He brought them out of exile, and graced them with His blessings. He never forgot them…

It is the same today as it was in Jeremiah’s time.

God knows the future, and His plans for us are good and full of hope. We need to trust Him with our agenda, and with the timetable of the world. We need to know that He goes with us as we move forward in this life. His purpose, His mission, WILL be accomplished.

We can have boundless hope.

“Yet in the end they will be saved!” (verse 7)

This does not mean that we will be spared pain, suffering, or hardship. But God will see us through to a glorious conclusion.

Just like He promised the Israelites – we will return to our “Promised Land” – to eternal life in God’s presence – we will finally return HOME.

“This is what the LORD says: ‘…then I will come and do for you ALL the good things I have promised, and I will bring you home again. For I know the plans I have for you…They are plans for good…to give you a future and a hope.” (Jeremiah 29:10-11)

“When in doubt, search God out!”

2 KINGS - My Word Will Not Fail!

You know, sometimes reading the Bible is like watching a good “soap opera” – (I know…good soap opera…oxymoron).

But the Bible isn’t a “tame” read!

It is chock-full of scoundrels, liars, idol worshipers, cheats, adulterers, murderers – in short, it’s full of REAL people!

Today’s “Bible Pick ‘Ems” comes from the book of 2 Kings.

WOW! Talk about kingdom intrigue!

The book of 2 Kings reads like a captivating novel, as king upon king, one after the other, enters and leaves the scene. Some good, some evil – all interesting.

At first I wasn’t sure how I was going to grab a “meaningful” verse out of what I was reading. But then it hit me. Listen to these verses from 2 Kings 10:10:

[King Jehu speaking] “You can be sure that the message of the LORD that was spoken concerning Ahab’s family will not fail. The LORD declared through his servant Elijah that this would happen.”

God’s prophecy CAME TRUE!

This verse, written about events that took place SO VERY LONG AGO, has a message for us TODAY!

God’s Word endures forever!

His Word and His promises can be trusted!

All that He says will happen!

He is faithful. He never changes. And all things will work out, just as He declared, just as He planned, just as He promised!

The message of the Lord WILL NOT FAIL!

“Everything you have heard and seen is trustworthy and true…Look, I am coming soon, bringing my reward with me…I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.” (Revelation 22:6, 12-13)

“When in doubt, search God out!”