God sent two prophets, Haggai and Zechariah, to encourage His people to continue work on the temple, and they did. Finally, the people wanted to do the right thing, they were acting with God's permission, they were going in the right direction, or at least they wanted to, but government tried to shut them down.
Ezra 5:5 (NIV)
"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."
The eye of their God was watching... Don't you love those words? The people were trying to do the right thing for the right reasons. Evil forces were trying to stop them. The last thing Satan would want is to have the Temple, the Dwelling Place of The LORD, reconstructed. As we mentioned yesterday, Satan was prowling. But he was and is, no match for the watchful eye of God.
We can be sure that Satan is still prowling. When we are acting the way God wants, when we are beacons of light in this dark world, there will be difficulty. The life of a Christian, while filled with hope and joy, is also assured of trials and tribulation. Satan may not be able to regain our soul, but he will try to stop us from influencing the world around us.
Rebuilding the Temple would be a major influence on the world, so it stands to reason there was trouble brewing. When we rebuild our lives, when we allow Jesus to reside in our hearts, and when it is obvious a major reconstruction effort is in place, prepare for attack. But, the real good news is - The eye of God is watching.
Read Ezra 5,6 here
Listen to Ezra 5,6 here
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