Isaiah 45-46
If you want proof that God’s plans are not random, this is it!
Isaiah wrote these passages 150 years before Cyrus, the king of Persia, would reign. Yet Isaiah named him, and declared God’s purpose for him.
“And why have I called you for this work? Why did I call you by name when you did not know me? It is for the sake of Jacob, my servant, Israel, my chosen one.” (45:4)
Did this come to pass? Absolutely. 70 years after Israel went into captivity, Cyrus was king of Persia. He issued a proclamation which said, “The Lord, the God of Heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth. He has appointed me to build Him a temple in Jerusalem. which is in Judah. Any of you who are the Lord’s people may go there for this task. And may the Lord your God be with you.”(II Chron. 36:23).
Amazing, isn’t it? That’s our God, all right. Amazing.
Now the Lord doesn’t treat us like puppets, but if you are His – as Israel was, you can count on his guidance – and His purpose being manifested in your life. He can call someone who doesn’t even know Him to bless you. He can give people dreams which will direct their paths to bring His purpose to you.
We can’t fathom the limitless ways that our God causes His plans to come together. The main thing is to trust Him and believe that He will direct your paths, and bring His best to pass in your life.
He will do it, if you let Him.
Let’s pray that we will hear His voice so that we will do our part, and that He will bring His best to pass in our lives.
I Thessalonians 3
There is always a certain amount of persecution when we decide to follow Jesus. The antichrist spirit tries to stop anything of God, so he tries to stop us.
Some, however, suffer more than others. Today in countries where Christians are in the minority and other religions are ruling, there is tremendous religious persecution.
That’s the way it was in Thessalonica. The Jews and the heathens were constantly bombarding these new believers. They were suffering heavy burdens under the iron fists of the oppressors. Paul was afraid that they would faint and give up on their beliefs. So he sent Timothy to find out about their well-being, and was pleased with what he found. The Thessalonians were remaining faithful!
When the enemy of our faith (the devil) sends persecution, his motive is clear. He wants to stop us in our tracks. If we allow discouragement and sorrow to influence us, we will stop, or at least grow weak.
Let’s be like the Thessalonians and say, “No way, devil. You aren’t stopping me.”
There are great rewards for us as we remain strong through the battles we face – and go through to the other side of the events. The outcome for those of us who remain steadfast is stronger faith, stronger character, and greater trust in our God. We get a chance to see first hand just how powerful our God is!
Be ye steadfast! And I will too!
