A week-long party marked the end of years of hope and prayer and hard work. Jewish exiles celebrated the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem, destroyed years before. For the longest time the construction looked impossible, and enemies tried to halt the work. Now the builders partied.

The exiles celebrated a miraculous turn of events in their long saga of hopes and disappointments, something they dared not dream as they started. The Lord had filled them with joy by changing the attitude of the king of Assyria so that he assisted them in the work on the house of God, the God of Israel.

The king of Assyria ruled vast lands and peoples. An obscure temple on the edge of his empire normally failed to spark much interest, let alone call for an enormous resource allocation to ensure its reconstruction. His attitude tended toward ignoring such requests. Better to build magnificent works down the street than across the desert.

However, the Lord stepped in and changed the king’s attitude, and created an enthusiastic benefactor. The pagan king went all in, the the temple stood finished in record time, and the party started in Jerusalem.

I often despair over circumstances that look beyond hope, and I worry about people that look beyond change. In doing so, I forget the God of Israel, who changes the attitudes of any he wishes. In my resignation, I forget to pray to our God who holds the hearts of men and women in his hand. I overlook the power of the Lord.

The Lord changes attitudes. It might take years, like rebuilding a temple, but I pray understanding this reality. And when I see evidence of such change, then it’s time to party.

Ezra 6 in week forty-eight of reading the Bible cover to cover

Photo by Sarah Dorweiler