Prophetic Destiny

This morning I opened up my bible to Ezra 8, which I haven't read in a very long time, but quite appropriate. It is the return to Jerusalem to re-establish the temple and worship. This is about the preparation and provision of the Lord.

(NIV)Ezra 8:21-23, 28-32, 36
There, by the Ahava Canal, I proclaimed a fast, so that we might humble ourselves before our God and ask him for a safe journey for us and our children, with all our possessions. [22] I was ashamed to ask the king for soldiers and horsemen to protect us from enemies on the road, because we had told the king, “The gracious hand of our God is on everyone who looks to him, but his great anger is against all who forsake him. ” [23] So we fasted and petitioned our God about this, and he answered our prayer.

[28] I said to them, “You as well as these articles are consecrated to the Lord. The silver and gold are a freewill offering to the Lord, the God of your ancestors. [29] Guard them carefully until you weigh them out in the chambers of the house of the Lord in Jerusalem before the leading priests and the Levites and the family heads of Israel.” [30] Then the priests and Levites received the silver and gold and sacred articles that had been weighed out to be taken to the house of our God in Jerusalem. [31] On the twelfth day of the first month we set out from the Ahava Canal to go to Jerusalem. The hand of our God was on us, and he protected us from enemies and bandits along the way. [32] So we arrived in Jerusalem, where we rested three days.

[36] They also delivered the king’s orders to the royal satraps and to the governors of Trans-Euphrates, who then gave assistance to the people and to the house of God.

I think this is an awesome scripture, because this is actually the fulfillment of a prophecy that Isaiah gave years earlier. The beginning of the Book of Ezra names Cyrus as the King who begins the process of the restoration of the temple and Jerusalem.

(NIV)Ezra 1:1, 7-8
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:
[7] Moreover, King Cyrus brought out the articles belonging to the temple of the Lord, which Nebuchadnezzar had carried away from Jerusalem and had placed in the temple of his god. [8] Cyrus king of Persia had them brought by Mithredath the treasurer, who counted them out to Sheshbazzar the prince of Judah.

The original prophecy is given in Isaiah 45. At the very least this was 150 years before it actually happened!!! Yet God named the king by name and said exactly what he was going to do. If you ever wonder if God really has a plan for Your life, here is a great example of His fore-knowledge and purposes being announced ahead of time.

(NIV)Isaiah 45:1, 3-5, 13
“This is what the Lord says to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I take hold of to subdue nations before him and to strip kings of their armor, to open doors before him so that gates will not be shut:

[3] I will give you hidden treasures, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know that I am the Lord, the God of Israel, who summons you by name. [4] For the sake of Jacob my servant, of Israel my chosen, I summon you by name and bestow on you a title of honor, though you do not acknowledge me. [5] I am the Lord, and there is no other; apart from me there is no God. I will strengthen you, though you have not acknowledged me,

[13] I will raise up Cyrus in my righteousness: I will make all his ways straight. He will rebuild my city and set my exiles free, but not for a price or reward, says the Lord Almighty.”

So putting this in our context, this would be the equivalent of someone in 1862 naming the next the President of the United States in 2012, and speaking about how he would impact the church in his day! God doesn't always announce His plans in such a public way, but He could. What is true about God in 700BC, is true about Him today. In Psalm 139 God speaks about knowing us from our mother's womb, knowing all our days before we were ever born. What's true about King Cyrus is true about you and me.

In Summary, God does have a plan for us, He has spoken about our prophetic destiny, He does know our name, and He will see His purposes fulfilled.