Inside Your Heart

Ezra 6:22

For seven days they celebrated with joy the Feast of Unleavened Bread, because the LORD had filled them with joy by changing the attitude of the king of Assyria, so that he assisted them in the work on the house of God, the God of Israel.

One interesting series that Tris and I got hooked on was Once Upon A Time. It is a modern take of the old fairy tales we grew up with, and like Shrek, the creators made a way of linking the characters to each other and into one story line. For its second season, the evil witch was back again trying to win Snow White’s grandson for her keeping. She used the book of spells to snatch him amidst the townspeople. She even enticed him to try magic. But like Bruce Almighty’s lesson, you cannot make another love you. She may have kept the boy inside her house, but she can never be inside his heart. It is the boy’s personal choice.

Following the celebration of the dedication of the temple, we find Judah in verse 19 having another feast, the Passover. They held it on the dates commanded by the Law, indicating that the Temple worship was fully operational.  What was noteworthy though was what God put in their hearts as the reason for their joy: that He changed the attitude of Darius so that he assisted them in the Temple rebuilding.   God softened the heart of this ruler, as He did with Pharaoh, to serve His purposes. This king acknowledged God as the God of heaven. Sadly though, he didn't make God the God of his life.

Verse 10 gives us the clue what was really in Darius’ heart: political reasons. Wikipedia noted that he was a firm believer of Ahura Mazda and he only ‘supported faiths and religions that were alien as long as the adherents were submissive and peaceable, sometimes giving them grants from his treasury for their purposes’.  How sad God must have been! This man called Him God - acknowledging His presence, His power, His sovereignty - but still not calling Him as ‘his’ God. Judas too, broke God’s heart by being a close follower and yet, not following at all.  Both prove that we can do God’s will without necessarily being connected to Him. The difference is found at the celebration after. Judah joyously enjoyed the feast, but Darius have no share in it. I doubt we’ll see Judas in eternity as well. Truth is, God draws people to Himself. His power is for His love and grace be made available to all. But responding in faith is man’s personal choice. The big question now is, is the God of all creation, also the God of your life?

Eyes on You

Ezra 5:5

But the eye of their God was watching over the elders of the Jews, and they were not stopped until a report could go to Darius and his written reply be received.

At the start of the year, my husband and I decided it’s time to find a new house for our family. The one we’re renting now is an old, ancestral home, and despite the renovation efforts before we moved in, it’s still deteriorating. Thank God for Google, we needn’t spend much and exhaust ourselves for tripping. All we need to do is allot an hour everyday and check out the classified sites. Specifying our preferences also trimmed down the hard work. But neither brought us success so far. No matter how diligent we are, our look gave us nothing, and brought us nowhere. It is frustrating.

Chapter five of Ezra opens with Haggai and Zechariah prophesying against Judah for their neglect in rebuilding the house of God. The construction was put on hold fifteen years back upon Artaxerxes’ order. Sadly, they never sought God if and when it could resume again. Their zeal grew cold and was diverted to paneling their own houses.  Here, God’s word through His prophets revived their hearts anew and readily, they continued the work. But as always, the enemy was unrelenting too. The Persian governor questioned their authorization permits, even went as far as reporting them to King Darius. But the eye of God was watching over them. He who kept them as an apple of His eye, will never allow them harmed nor touched. In the following chapter, they weren’t just given clearance. They were fully supported and financed.

Sometimes, the concept of God being in heaven clouds our confidence that His help is within reach. It seems that the vast space in between indeed separates us from His love, and that all He can faithfully do is watch us ‘from a distance’. Zechariah 4:10 noted ‘The seven lamps represent the eyes of the LORD that search all around the world’. With seven, it signifies the perfection of God in exercising His providence in all creation. He is no man whose eyes are limited to left and right and a little far beyond. He is ever-present and is with His people 24/7. It wasn’t King Darius’ approval nor their diligence that gave success to the temple restoration. Neither will my family ever find that house no matter how hard we look. Apart from God guiding us with His eyes, our look will give us nothing and bring us nowhere. Isn’t it best if we fix our gaze on Him instead?

New Year Fail?

Ezra 4:24

Thus the work on the house of God in Jerusalem came to a standstill until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.

We spent New Year’s Eve with my side of the family in a private resort in Antipolo City. The panoramic view overlooking the city was superb during the countdown. Add to that the warmth of being with my favorite clan again. It was everything I planned and prayed for. My heart was just so full and rejoicing. Until that Magic Sing took over the scene. Being a musician, I really have very low tolerance for out-of-tune singing. Please understand that it’s because my ears weren’t wired for such. Plus I’m worrying about the owner’s reminder of the anti-noise ordinance. It was a hard struggle. And definitely not my ideal first, few hours of 2013.

 In this chapter, we see the tribes of Judah and Benjamin embarking on their task of rebuilding God’s temple. It was their first endeavor as a returning nation. Sadly, they were welcomed with much opposition. And by welcome, it meant the struggle came from within. Their monotheistic faith threatened the idolatrous and immoral ways of the Samaritans squatting in the land. These pagans employed deception, discouragement and detraction to stop the work. And for sixteen years, they were seemingly successful in their slander.

It’s only the fourth of January and some of us are already struggling to overcome discouragements. The indulgence of the season may have left our purses almost empty; or maybe the holiday cheers faded at the sight of your gloomy workplace (and officemate!); or maybe we already failed in our set-resolutions. It may seem that these attempts to put us down are beyond our control, but truth is, the decision to respond parallel to the enemy’s lies is up to us. Being halted for a moment is far different from not trying again. We have the Resurrected Christ in our lives. His light can shine amidst any darkness, even death. With Him, we can move from striving to actually thriving. That’s our hope this new year!

Pretty in Pink

Ezra 3:3

Despite their fear of the peoples around them, they built the altar on its foundation and sacrificed burnt offerings on it to the Lord, both the morning and evening sacrifices.

Tomorrow morning, thirty nine boxes of toys and goodies will be given to the first graders of Carreta Elementary School. It will be our church’s third wave of sharing the love of Jesus to their community (the clean-up drive was first, and the school supplies pack was second). It’s a joy to be part of it and so my husband brought home two boxes for us: one for a girl recipient, the other for a boy. I took the list last weekend and shopped for all ten items. When I got home, somehow I felt very uncomfortable with the two blue shirts I found on sale. God has been speaking to me about giving ‘better’ gifts lately and I know a pink shirt would fit a young girl better. But when I look inside the box, with all nine other good items in it, my depraved mind was saying, ‘It’s already good enough’. I struggled for days and especially in light of my very thin Christmas budget. Then this devotion brought me light.

Chapter three of Ezra talks about the fifty thousand, first wave of exiles coming home to Jerusalem from their seventy years in Babylon. Here, after settling in their own towns for seven months, they gathered as one man in the capital city to build an altar for God. It may seem easy at first glance for it only requires some acacia wood and an overlay of bronze. Each one gave to the treasury for this work and so the financial side wouldn’t be much of a problem. But our verse above noted one big roadblocker: fear. Before their coming, the land was inhabited by pagans who were determined to stay for good. And these squatters weren’t just numerous. They even had connections to the Persian government who were powerful enough to send them away. Building an altar in Jerusalem was a big statement of reclaiming their land as God’s people. It’s like an opening arrow in war. Their fear was real and valid, but despite its paralyzing threat, they stood their ground and did God’s will. After all, if fear was at their door, all the more they needed God’s favor and protection.

‘Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you. Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’ What fear seeks is to deny us the truth of this verse. It tells us that God is NOT with us, and will NOT strengthen and help us. Fear whispered to me that my budget couldn’t allow a better gift for a little girl. Dig deeper and it meant, God is not a good provider. And so in faith, I went back to the mall, decisive to buy a pink shirt. There I was sidetracked again with a rack on sale but the ‘better’ word tapped me back. Finding the best one finally, I rushed to the cashier for the pay. Guess what? When she swiped the shirt, I was surprised it registered a discounted price. Even lower than the one on the sale rack!  It was so humbling and reassuring. I cried in praise to my amazing God!

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.

Again and Again

2 Chronicles 36:15

The LORD, the God of their fathers, sent word to them through his messengers again and again, because he had pity on his people and on his dwelling place.

‘You said that already mom!’ That’s my 6 year old son’s reply to my nth repetition of 'Pick up your toys, Rilian!'. On happy days, I’d tickle him for trying his wits on me. But on busy days, which is like everyday, we end up with more lectures and both annoyed. It’s really frustrating. Admittedly though, if I take our case before a court and be asked who started it all, I couldn’t blame the mess on the floor. Someone did flare up first. And considering our age difference and the-who’s more responsible-angle, I’d sure lose any claim.  But would any kid win a plea if his parent sits as judge? Probably never.

If we’ll read God’s message to His people through the prophet Jeremiah, we may have the impression that it was in the tone of much anger. Considering that all of Judah - from king to priests to families - were unfaithful and unrepentant, it is no wonder that they were warned of exile as punishment. The verse above says the messengers were sent ‘again and again’, or in another translation ‘rising up early and sending’. That sounds like being nagged at the start of the day! But unlike earthly parents, that cannot be said of God. On the contrary, He had pity on his people and on Jerusalem. His reiterations may be irritating to the rebellious, but never because He is in any way annoying. In fact, He even went to the extent of cleaning our mess if only we repent and return to Him. The Cross is proof to that. But to them with hard hearts, there can be no remedy but God’s wrath.

Divine providence saw to it that the same message was preached yesterday at church. To me, that’s God’s faithfulness meeting me again and again. I nodded in praise, and relief!, for God’s unchanging nature in stably responding to my deeds and misdeeds. It’s unimaginable that He will scold me harder today because He caught a bad mood or suddenly felt shuffling some house rules. What is more, the love element leaves me speechless. I do love my kids. But I’m sure they can’t trace any of it while I’m angry. In God’s just court, I am guilty. But there’s another seat, the mercy seat, and there I am forgiven. Not just again and again, but once and for all.  Thank You Lord!

Seek or Sink

2 Chronicles 34:3

In the eighth year of his reign, while he was still young, he began to seek the God of his father David. In his twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem of high places, Asherah poles, carved idols and cast images.

One of life’s humor is the marriage of structure and spontaneity. That's from an OC mom who puts everything in order (and labeled!), while her three fun-loving people equate fun with messing around. It’s a daily riot here.  Nagging starts when they come to me for missing items. They knew they'll have to bear with my ‘I-told-you-so’ while we're retracing their steps. But my hope is for my kids to just see the value of neatness, even safekeeping. But so far, it’s not sinking in.     

On his eighth year as king, Josiah saw the need to seek answers for the sinking state of Judah. Many believed it was from the royal annals that he found his key. With reference to his walking as David did, the latter probably was the teenage king’s favorite hero. And because David sought God, Josiah did as well. Amazing how, despite that the Scripture was still missing at this time, reform was able to take place. Most likely, God preserved remnants to help him retrace their steps and see idolatry as the root of it all.  Here, it is no humor to mix order and messing around. And so he cleansed Judah of all hand-made idols, and later, he called them in for true worship.

‘You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart’ was God’s word through the prophet Jeremiah, Josiah’s contemporary. Quite a thought on who’s really lost and who’s found here. For at those times when we loosen our grip on God, we become lost ourselves. And when we finally see Him at the end of our search, then we are found.  Truth is, even our purest desire to seek Him is from God. Apart from His grace to call us, we will never hear. There is no way for Josiah, with Ammon as father and Manasseh as grandfather, to be inclined to righteousness. But the good Shepherd called him valuable, went after him, and brought him home.  To me, this sank in.