Contemplative Bible Reading

Ezra 1:2 (New Living Translation)

“This is what King Cyrus of Persia says:

“The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth. He has appointed me to build him a Temple at Jerusalem, which is in Judah.

Strange words coming from the King of Persia, you know, one of the really rich and powerful fellas’ in the world. Everything the King of Persia has was given to him by Jehovah (YHWH) the God of heaven, the God of Israel—one of those puny little places that the King of Persia stomped on a weekend romp through the puny little places.

Strange indeed. Stranger still is how rare it is that I and other Christians today stand and say, “The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the money, lands, homes, and family that I have.” Strange indeed.