Ezra Day 1: Hope is a Decision

Jerusalem was under attack. The Babylonians spared few - men and women of all ages, children, and the elderly lost their lives. They plundered all the sacred, valuable articles from the Temple and every treasure from the land. Capturing any remaining Israelites, they carried them to Babylon as exiles, making them servants of King Nebuchadnezzar for generations. 

As they left Jerusalem, the Babylonians burned the city to the ground. 

Everything the Israelites treasured was ruined. Their city, the Temple, the people they loved, their possessions, livelihood, and freedom were gone. It’s hard to imagine their despair.  

The Israelites knew the words of Jeremiah 25:11-12, prophesying, “This whole land shall become a ruin and a waste, and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years.  Then after seventy years are completed, I will punish the king of Babylon and that nation, the land of the Chaldeans, for their iniquity, declares the Lord, making the land an everlasting waste.”

God promised that after 70 years in Babylon, He would redeem their story. This is where the book of Ezra starts; after 70 years in exile, God comes to their rescue.  

You and I are much like the Israelites, living in different circumstances than we expected. We find ourselves looking for hope, desiring a change in the hard parts of our story. Exhausted from trying to control, manipulate, and work hard enough to find answers, deep inside, we realize that all our effort keeps us coming up short. 

We don’t just stumble upon hope. To hope is a decision to turn towards something or someone we believe can help us. We all put our hope in something, or a combination of things, we think will result in the life we desire.

We place our hope in our finances, creating a safety net for our future.

We put our hope in our education or credentials, believing they will give us security and prosperity.

We place our hope in our health, thinking it will spare us from disease and illness. 

The list continues — people, talents, wisdom, reputation, possessions — as we work to find answers to our hurt and uncertainty, we place our hope in what we can control. 

Until one day: 

our health fails, 

the relationship ruptures, 

the economy crashes,

our reputation is tainted,

our talent is overshadowed,

our possessions break & decay,

our wisdom reveals its insufficiency.

What then? How do we hold onto hope when life is breaking? Where do we go next?

In God, our hope is never misplaced. It is always steady and secure. There, in our shattered hope, God stands ready to help us pick up the pieces and create the beautiful story He knew was possible all along. 

God patiently waits for us to choose to place our hope in Him. He’s not pushy or demanding. He allows us to go our own way and test the strength of our worldly desires. When we are ready, He greets us with open arms. 

God's word is the best remedy for a heart that wanders toward the world. The more we know about our Heavenly Father, the more tightly we choose to tie our hope to Him. Scripture declares His desire to bring hope to our circumstances and His ability to keep His promises.  

We find this truth in the book of Ezra as we see God’s hand move powerfully in the life of the Israelites. We witness a God who does more than they could imagine. Just as promised, He steps into their situation and changes their story.

You and I have a decision — where will we place our hope? Will we choose to continue to grow in our relationship with God, even when life looks different than we desire? Will we move toward God in prayer, opening our hearts to His perspective? Will we spend regular time in His word learning about His character and His ways? 

These choices hold power to bolster our hope as we grow in our relationship with Him. 

I don’t know the circumstances that break your heart or the situation that seems never to have answers. I don’t know what brings you to tears or needs to be restored. But God does. He knows every detail, past, present, and future. In His perfect timing, He will redeem the broken pieces of our stories.  

Until then, there is no better place to put our hope than in His unfailing love.

For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence,

    for my hope is from him.

He only is my rock and my salvation,

    my fortress; I shall not be shaken.

On God rests my salvation and my glory;

    my mighty rock, my refuge is God. Psalm 62:5-7