Dealing With Opposition
“Then King Darius issued a decree, and a search was made in the archives, where the treasures were stored in Babylon. And at Achmetha, in the palace that is in the province of Media, a scroll was found…”
– Ezra 6:1-2
Haggai and Zechariah began urging the Israelites to continue the work on the temple, rather than building their own houses first (Haggai 1:4). As a result, everyone got up to build the home of the Lord (Ezra 5:1-2). They were following the original decree given by Cyrus, the one Isaiah prophesied about (Isaiah 45:1). Just as in any work of the Lord, however, opposition came quickly. The governor of the region and his companions appealed to Darius the king to stop the work. When questioned, the prophets shared with Darius the original decree, and he ordered a search of the original documents. They were discovered in the Capital, and work resumed. Work began again, but the ones who began to oppose the construction were also ordered to help pay for the project. Amazing how the Lord provides for those He loves!
God is in control of everything and everybody. We may say to ourselves, “if God is in control, why does the world seem to be in chaos?” We must remember that we live in a fallen world that began with Adam and Eve and their disobedience. We have free will to choose, and many choose to live a life of sin without remedy in Jesus Christ. God has a purpose, and ultimately His plans will come to pass (Ecclesiastes 3:17). He can use anything and anyone. The Bible tells us, “The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord, like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes” (Proverbs 21:1). Such was the case here in the book of Ezra. It amazes me to think that a Medo Persian king was used to permit the Jews to go back and rebuild the temple.
As a Christian, you belong to Jesus. It is nothing you have done. It is what He did on the Cross. We remember this by keeping on the helmet of salvation. If we do not, we can become discouraged. We live in a fallen world, and sometimes we misunderstand when things do not go our way. We tend to think that we should never have pain or suffering as Christians. This is not true. In this world, we will have tribulations, difficulties in this life come to both the righteous and unrighteous (John 16:33; Ecclesiastes 9:2-3). If we do not have the proper perspective based upon God’s Word, we can become deeply discouraged.
Discouragement can be one of the greatest weapons of Satan. Maybe the Lord called you to do something, and you set out on that task with joy only to discover that Satan was right there to oppose you in an attempt to steal that joy. In the days we live in and the difficulties we are experiencing, we can feel backed into a corner. We can feel all alone like nobody cares. We can even wonder why something so difficult is happening to us in this life. All of these things can cause us confusion and leave us discouraged. I am telling you, this is when the Lord is paying the most attention to our needs. This is when He carries us and when we are nearest to His heart. Remember, the Lord is in control, and nothing can touch you that He does not allow. All of your days have been perfectly fashioned for you (Psalm 139:16).
"He will gather the lambs with His arm, And carry them close to His heart..."
– Isaiah 40:11