"11 With praise and thanksgiving they sang to the LORD :
"He is good; his love to Israel endures forever."
And all the people gave a great shout of praise to the LORD,
because the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid."
I read here in Ezra 3:7-13 for the first time, the Israelites turning to God as one people and accepting God's love after how God pursued the Israelites with His love, to the point of moving the heart of the Persian king Cyrus. This day, finally, they acknowledged God's love for them.
Lesson
Our lives are like those of the Israelites, trying our best to run away from God, doing our own thing, even if it be wrong, even if it be dissatisfactory, even if it be disastrous, we want to have control of things we know not about. We think we know whats right for us, but we know not.
I thought I had my life in control, as in, I am a "strong believer" and everything. I thought, I know the Bible, I have talents and I know God's heart, what He wants and He will do exactly that. With that attitude, I was going great I thought, yeah I led church worship and everything, but I was becoming empty, losing my first love. Until one day, I fell face down, into a pit I had determined never ever to fall in. Self-righteousness- I thought myself better than others, but now I am glad I took this fall. I had almost formed a mentality, God moves at my words!!! Dangerous philosophy, God doesn't move at our words, He honours His word which He has already written, we are to conform to His Word. Remember my post on David, He did not ask God for making him a king and giving him riches and all the bling bling...God Himself in His good plan, decided to do that for David, because David loved God and obeyed Him.
At this time, when no one was there to care or to help me, one man stood, though not knowing much about the Word of God and everything. Christians came and said kind words to me and went on...but this man, he just stood by there silently beside me, would just sit with me and would say nothing...he accepted me just as I am...with my arrogance(the worst of which he had experienced himself, from me)..with my "holier than thou" attitude and everything, one big bundle of wasteful pride and everything else that comes with it. Then I realised my weakness and returned to God," God this time really have it Your way". Later I was to get married to that man who cared for me, when no one else did and it was and still is real joy.
I know now, how wonderful the day might have been when Israel for the first time in 400yrs turned around to the Living God, Who had been following them with His love in His heart, every single day they were out there, doing their own thing. More so, Jesus our Saviour continues to wait by our doors, knocking at our hearts, hoping someday we will return to His love and what a glorious day that will be. Surely better is one day at God's door, than thousands elsewhere. Israelites came to know, that those 400 yrs they lived elsewhere, with people they thought they could get some appreciation from, cared nothing. Until God intervened and finally Israelites saw, God's love for them.
That day in Jerusalem, there was a great shout of victory as the Israelites made an effort to rebuild the broken temple of their God, a beginning of a new relationship, laying of a new foundation. Ezra 3:12 says "12 But many of the older priests and Levites and family heads, who had seen the former temple, wept aloud when they saw the foundation of this temple being laid, while many others shouted for joy. 13 No one could distinguish the sound of the shouts of joy from the sound of weeping, because the people made so much noise. And the sound was heard far away."
This reminds me of another shout of victory of rejoicing, with tears of joy, that reveberates through the heavens everytime, that child, that child whom God had been pursuing with His heart full of love, turns around and faces God and accepts and returns to His love.
Luke 15:10"In the same way, I tell you,
there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God
over one sinner who repents."
Conclusion
Return to His love, you broken heart
You will not find love so blessed
For only God can satisfy
No matter how much you're messed
Return to Love, the One true Love
whom others tend to fake
His love can change from inside out
It will never be a mistake
He holds His arms open wide
hoping for your retreat
He waits for you through day and night
When will His love, He meet
Make today the day, of sweet return
throw away those fake nothings
He waits, He longs to see your love for Him
and turn you into a blessing.
-by Godzheart
1 comment :
Good lesson!
Post a Comment