Ezra 4 to 6 and Ps 137 It is just so neat to read these chapters to see the truth of Romans 8:28. The adversaries of the temple workers were so sure their first letter back to the king would settle the matter, and all would return to normal “but God.” This reminds us of Prov 21:1 “The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord like channels of water; he turns it wherever he wants.” We see the evidence of that when the new king is asked to scour the scrolls of Cyrus once again, and there it was—in plain black and white: let the captive/exiles rebuild the temple so they can pray to God for my sons and me. Another Romans 8:28 story!

Satan is the master deceiver and accuser of the brethren. His primary purpose is to distract God’s people and keep God’s Word from being proclaimed, and he almost succeeded. Praise God for faithful prophets like Haggai and Zechariah, who arrived in Jerusalem at just the right moment.

Where have you seen the hand of God in your life? Where has God turned what the enemy wants to use to distract and destroy only to see his plan foiled? Give God the praise!