All it Takes Is One Willing Heart
After reading the books of Ezra, Nehemiah and Ester, I’ve had the belief that just one person can truly “right” the course of God’s plan, reinforced in my mind!
Sometimes I think researching history, gives us a better understanding of what was actually going on in the world at the time of the events described in the books I mentioned. I love history! But I love even more so, reading historical events that show us how God can use just one person to alter the plans of our enemy and destroy his works!
When King Cyrus The Great conquered Babylon, he immediately (in his first year of reign) wrote a decree that allowed all the Jews that had been taken captive, to not only return to Jerusalem, but to be allowed to rebuild the temple of God. Let me tell you how crazy this was! King Nebuchadnezzar had literally drug the last King of Judah away in chains, enslaved all the Jews living there and destroyed everything in their cities. It was a total destruction at every level! But here King Cyrus comes in and immediately changes all that!
Cyrus practiced Monotheism, the belief that there is one God that created the universe, rules it and intervenes in it! He was a much loved and respected king. The reason for this admiration among the peoples he conquered is that he allowed every Provence, country and city to continue practicing their religious beliefs. Cyrus never imposed his own personal believes on anyone. So while he wasn’t what we would call a “Christian” or in those days believe in the Lord God Jehovah, the One true living God, he was not offended that Jews believed that and wanted to restore their temple worship.
So what was so crazy about King Cyrus allowing the Jewish exodus and restoration of their temple? HE PAID FOR IT!!! In Ezra, the first chapter Cyrus is recorded as saying “The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he has charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Whoever is among you of all his people, may his God be with him and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah and rebuild the house of the Lord, the God of Israel - he is the God who is in Jerusalem. And let each survivor, in whatever place he sojourns, be assisted by the men of his place with silver and gold, with goods and with beasts, besides freewill offerings for the house of God that is in Jerusalem”.
If you continue reading you will find that King Cyrus instructed those under his charge, to give the Jews whatever they needed. I immediately began to think about our country. Our president. Our leaders. Oh what an awful, seedy, grievous time we are experiencing right now. But let me ask you this….would you ever have thought that the Donald Trump of the TV series, “The Apprentice”, the one that lived in Trump Towers, the one that was popular among Hollywood and elitist from all over the world, would become the President of the only nation in the world that was founded on Christian principals for a Christian purpose? That he would institute a day just for prayer to the One true living God….the God of the Bible? That he would bless people and our nation using God’s name? That he would fight for the rights of Christians, unborn babies, the institution of marriage and all other Christian principals? Me either!!!! But Praise God, he was one person with a willing heart. It says in the first verse of Ezra that “the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus King of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom and also put it in writing!!!
If you follow this story through to the end of Nehemiah, you will find that four more kings followed Cyrus that also had a willing heart. The Jews had so many enemies that tried to stop their temple progress and rebuilding the wall but all through this story there was always just one person that had a willing heart….a heart that allowed God to stir it and steer it!
People like Ezra, that led the second wave of Jews from Babylon to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple and Nehemiah that led the third wave and organized and rebuilt the walls around Jerusalem, King Cyrus, King Darius, King Artaxerxes, that all provided the finances and materials to accomplish these huge tasks, Ester and Mordecai, each of these people had one heart that was willing. Why is this so significant? Because, right now we are watching our country being destroyed, so many experiencing fear, many worried about what is to come. What about our upcoming elections, what about covid-19, what about all these riots? Let me assure you that God is NEVER taken by surprise. He is preparing people all the time, to be that ONE HEART that is willing.
Mordecai told Ester “who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this”? If you are a child of God, you are apart of His Kingdom. God’s Kingdom always comes out on top. Read the Bible cover to cover and you will see “WE WIN”. Let me ask you….how do you know that you haven’t come to the kingdom for such a time as this? I know…you’re probably thinking… I’m not important, I don’t have authority, I don’t have connections, I don’t have money and influence…what can I do?
What if each of the people I mentioned had taken that stance? Were those Kings in a position to do what they did? Yes…of course. Notice, God had stirred their hearts. The goodness of one’s heart never comes from them! The only goodness in this world is the goodness that comes from God. God is able to stir the hearts of the powerful and in authority…that’s why we are to pray for them! But look at Ezra, Nehemiah, Ester and Mordecai. NONE of them had authority and position until the heart that God had stirred gave to it to them. Two of these people were of lowly stations. Did they just happen to be at the right place at the right time? I don’t believe in happenstance or coincidence….I believe in providence, Godly favor, anointing and the will of God working through willing hearts!!
I heard a great message yesterday. The message was about three types of prayer…the first, God speak to me…be quiet and allow God to speak to you. The second is God break my heart for what breaks yours…give me spiritual goggles to see what you see. The third, give me boldness. I realized as I finished Ester this morning that all the people I’ve mentioned above had to have at some time prayed those kinds of prayers. God was definitely speaking to them. But like Ester, can we go three days without food and only praying because we are so concerned for our country? Can we be still long enough to hear what God wants to stir in our hearts? Or, like Mordecai…he had a heart that was breaking for the things that broke God’s heart…he loved the people that God loved. He too Fasted and prayed! He put on those spiritual goggles and allowed his heart to be stirred also. When Ester went in before the King without being summoned, she was clearly walking in boldness, as the King could have taken her life if that act displeased him. Nehemiah walked in boldness rebuilding a wall while holding a weapon in one hand and a tool in the other. Ezra’s goggles enabled his spiritual discernment and escaped murderous plans on numerous occasions in order to fulfill God’s calling!
I am praying that today we will each be just ONE HEART that is willing to be stirred and used by God. You might not have money and influence, you might not have a position of authority or connections but let me remind you of what you do have! You have the mind of Christ. You have resurrection power inside you. You have at least faith the size of a mustard seed. You have righteousness, protection, spiritual authority in the Kingdom, keys to the kingdom, connections to the One true living God. You have ONE HEART. When you offer your heart and allow God to stir your heart and speak to your heart and then rise in obedience to that Word, you can be an Ezra, a Nehemiah, an Ester or Mordecai! You can be used by God to do great and mighty things.
Commit to quiet time, and study of God’s Word. Commit to be ONE HEART that is willing. I love each of you and am praying that you feel and hear the stirrings of God in your heart today!
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