Monday, December 10, 2012

Unexpected Win

Ezra 1:1
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.

Pacquaio’s knockout loss to Marquez yesterday came as a shock to everyone. I myself was dumbfounded seeing the still frame from my friend’s laptop. It was tragic. Almost unbelievable. The replay was proof that the People’s Champ was in full control prior the last-second counter-punch. He even knocked him down on the fifth round. But to Manny, this was not unexpected. ‘Hey you know, this is boxing…’ he said to his saddened people in the locker room. Marquez was there to beat him off. That’s what opponents do.

On their seventieth year as exiles in Babylon, Judah saw a new, great empire rising: Persia. They overheard that the ruler, Cyrus, was able to overthrow the mighty Median empire. His stunning reputation even pushed the kings of Babylon, Lydia and Egypt to unite against him. I can imagine the anxiety of the Jews at the thought of a fiercer lord over them. When Babylon was infiltrated, they were ready for the worse news. But the unexpected happened: instead of a heavier yoke, they were proclaimed free to go home! I’m sure they stood there for a while in disbelief. Because that’s not what conquerors do!

The verse above gave us the reason for the unlikely turn of events. No, it wasn’t because Cyrus was overly kind (or foolish), and definitely not because he had any love for the Jews. Truth is, God promised his people deliverance and He will accomplish his will, at the exact time He said He would, and through the exact person He said He would. Proverbs 21:1 notes ‘The king's heart is in the hand of God, He directs it like a watercourse wherever he pleases.’ That’s the same God who promised us deliverance from our troubles and foes. He can move the heart of anyone, even our enemies, just so we can receive what we have been promised. This shouldn’t surprise us. ‘Hey you know, this is God!’ That’s what He does.
Posted by at
Labels: , , ,

2 comments:

  1. ED ANGELESDecember 10, 2012 at 12:41 PM

    Panalo! Ano yun dumbfounded, where can I find it? =D

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sheila VonDecember 10, 2012 at 1:12 PM

      ako na ang speechless sa tanong mo kuya, hahaha :>

      Delete

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)

Unexpected Win

Ezra 1:1
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.

Pacquaio’s knockout loss to Marquez yesterday came as a shock to everyone. I myself was dumbfounded seeing the still frame from my friend’s laptop. It was tragic. Almost unbelievable. The replay was proof that the People’s Champ was in full control prior the last-second counter-punch. He even knocked him down on the fifth round. But to Manny, this was not unexpected. ‘Hey you know, this is boxing…’ he said to his saddened people in the locker room. Marquez was there to beat him off. That’s what opponents do.

On their seventieth year as exiles in Babylon, Judah saw a new, great empire rising: Persia. They overheard that the ruler, Cyrus, was able to overthrow the mighty Median empire. His stunning reputation even pushed the kings of Babylon, Lydia and Egypt to unite against him. I can imagine the anxiety of the Jews at the thought of a fiercer lord over them. When Babylon was infiltrated, they were ready for the worse news. But the unexpected happened: instead of a heavier yoke, they were proclaimed free to go home! I’m sure they stood there for a while in disbelief. Because that’s not what conquerors do!

The verse above gave us the reason for the unlikely turn of events. No, it wasn’t because Cyrus was overly kind (or foolish), and definitely not because he had any love for the Jews. Truth is, God promised his people deliverance and He will accomplish his will, at the exact time He said He would, and through the exact person He said He would. Proverbs 21:1 notes ‘The king's heart is in the hand of God, He directs it like a watercourse wherever he pleases.’ That’s the same God who promised us deliverance from our troubles and foes. He can move the heart of anyone, even our enemies, just so we can receive what we have been promised. This shouldn’t surprise us. ‘Hey you know, this is God!’ That’s what He does.