Have you ever had an enemy ask to come help build alongside you? Claiming to want the same things you want, claiming to serve the same God you serve, only to see they've come to frustrate your plans and try and stop you from working?
Ezra 4-6, shares the kind of resistance Judah faced while attempting to build the House of God in Jerusalem. Verse 2 shares how enemies approach Zerubbabel and other leaders of the Jews saying, “Let us build with you, for we worship your God just as you do.”
But Zerubbabel told them no, they could have no part in the work, that he was commanded by King Cyrus of Persia to build alone. Then local residents try to discourage them from building and make them afraid. Trying to stop them from working, they even bribe agents to work against the Jews to frustrate their plans. Then they wrote a letter of accusations against them to the king.
This all sounds so very extreme and ridiculous, right!? Yet this happens often as we work building God's Dream. His dream is you and me and the enemy fights hard against God, against our work, our relationships, and our fellowship with God.
After the king read the letter, he orders a search for the records, only to discover that, yes, the Jews were known in the past for some uprisings against government, etc, so he orders the temple work to stop. But it was temporary. Sometimes it can look like the enemy has won but I assure you he has NOT!!!
Later, King Darius comes along and things start to completely turn around. In fact, so much so that these enemies of the Jews are now ordered by King Darius, not only to stop working against them, but to actually help them work, and they were ordered to give the priests in Jerusalem whatever was needed to complete the work.
The beauty of this story is King Cyrus had already decreed the work of the temple far in advance of it even being built and wrote in the decree, "all expenses will be paid by the royal treasury." Can I tell you that God has already gone ahead of you and decreed your victory, all expenses paid by the Royal Treasury!!! Don’t allow discouragement to sink its teeth in you, don’t let the enemy frustrate your plans, do not give up! Keep going, keep building, keep dreaming, there is NOTHING too hard for God!!! And as we see in this story, The Lord will cause even your enemies to help you. He will even command them to bless you.
Father I’m so thankful that You have gone ahead of me and decreed my victory, I thank you for working behind the scenes of my life, for my good, and for Your Glory. Help me build Your dream. In Jesus Name I pray. Amen!
I wanna hear your thoughts - please comment below! Share your victories and what the Lord has been turning around for you.
