'Then they celebrated the Festival of Unleavened
Bread for seven days. There was great joy throughout
the land because the Lord had caused the king of Assyria
to be favorable to them, so that he helped them to rebuild
I cannot imagine the joy felt by the nation of Israel when the 2nd Temple was completed. When they were allowed to return home from 70 years of exile, they wanted life to get back to normal. NORMAL included the temple. But, they had few resources and there was so much opposition. FINALLY, King Darius gave them much-needed support to finish the project. What started out as a battle just to maintain their freedom turned out to be a huge blessing. The enemy wanted to stop the Temple construction. Instead, the king instructed this opposition to help! They had to provide money, materials, and all that the returned exiles needed. What an amazing UNEXPECTED GIFT from the Lord.
How many times has God turned your life from pain and heartache to great joy beyond all you could ever imagine?
For me, this occurred in 2017. I left school that year, defeated, depressed, and attacked. I saw no hope. I saw no joy in our future. Yet, all of that pain led to the great joy I have today. God wanted more for me than I could ever imagine. The Lord used the sins of Israel to lead them to great joy when this second Temple was completed. God took my pain that May of 2017 and turned it into joy.
Yes, I still have moments of pain and suffering. I still have times of depression and defeat. But, I know that the Lord will take those things and turn them into great joy. I anxiously anticipate that great joy. Thank you Lord in advance for all that you are about to do in our lives!
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