Ezra 6:22 "And kept the feast of unleavened bread seven days with joy: for the LORD had made them joyful, and turned the heart of the king of Assyria unto them, to strengthen their hands in the work of the house of God, the God of Israel."
Do you ever feel like you are in the minority? What do you do when you are outnumbered? Honestly, the older I get, the more outnumbered I feel! My grandfather, Bill Rice, used to say, "I just wish once-just once!-that I could vote with the majority on something!" It is not a virtue to be weird, out on the fringes, or in the minority; but it seems like more often than not, that is where I find myself. Does this happen to you, too?
What are we to do when we are outnumbered? The examples of the children of captivity instruct us. First, trust God. The house of God was to be rebuilt by the people of God...with funding and protection from the king of Assyria? Verse 22 says that the Lord "turned the heart of the king of Assyria unto them. . . ." As Proverbs 21:1 says, "The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will." If God can turn the heart of a wicked king in Ezra's day, He is worthy of your trust in 2011. God is in charge, no matter what the majority is doing.
Second, pray for the "king." Darius, the king of Assyria, told the children of the captivity to "pray for the life of the king, and of his sons." (verse 10) I don't know what was in Darius' mind, but what he asked for was very biblical! I Timothy 2:1-2 says, "I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority. . . ." Anybody big enough to fret and worry about is big enough to pray about.
What will this world look like in thirty years when my kids are my age? What kinds of wickedness will my sons be up against? What kind of minority will my daughter be in? The truth is, you may not be able to control the world you will leave your kids; but you can control the kids you leave your world. When you find yourself in the minority when standing for what's right, trust God. He can use even a pagan king for His own purpose! And don't be slack to obey God's command to pray for "kings, and for all that are in authority."
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