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 to put it in writing: "This is what Cyrus king of Persia says: "'The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and he has appointed me to build a temple for him at Jerusalem in Judah. Anyone of his people among you - may the Lord his God be with him, and let him go up.'" (2 Chronicles 36:22, 23)
These parts of v.22 give us significant insights....in order to fulfill the word of the Lord spoken by Jeremiah.........the Lord moved the heart of Cyrus king of Persia.....
The facts that we can infer from them are that God's word finds fulfillment sooner or later and that God does move hearts.
God moved the heart of Cyrus, a gentile king, for granting permission for the temple to be built after the captivity in Babylon. God had great plans for this king, long before he was born. Isaiah prophesied these words that God gave him.............who says of Cyrus, 'He is my shepherd and will accomplish all that I please; he will say of Jerusalem, "Let it be rebuilt," and of the temple, "Let its foundations be laid."' (Isaiah 44:28)
As believers in Jesus Christ, we must believe that God's word to us will also be fulfilled in his time.
For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay. (Habakkuk 2:3)
We must also believe that God can move hearts for us and is always working on our behalf as we continually pray to him.
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