Pray the Word with David Platt is a resource from Radical.net.

Cyrus King of Persia proclaimed, I just want to stop here and think about the wonder of this verse,

especially on the first day of a new year. To read Ezra chapter 1, verse 1, and we pray,

according to similar language at the end of 2 Chronicles, 2 Chronicles, chapter 36,

but here are the people of God in exile. And Ezra chapter 1, verse 1, from the very beginning of

this chapter, we see a picture of the sovereignty of God over all history and over all nations

and over all kings. When we read in the Bible about the king's heart being in the hand of the Lord,

here's an illustration of that, Cyrus King of Persia makes a decree. What happens after this,

Cyrus King of Persia is making a decree that the people of God can return to Jerusalem and build the

temple there. And it's all because the Lord stirred up his spirit. According to the word God had

spoken through Jeremiah. So did you hear that? Like what we take away from Ezra chapter 1 is one

that the word of the Lord is sure is a rock that God will do what he says in his word. Guaranteed,

you can bang your life on the Word of God and the sovereign operation of God's spirit in the world.

History is not random that world events and world leaders are ultimately under the rule of God's

sovereignty and he is guiding all things in history toward a definite end, a definite aim, a definite

goal. Obviously we read in the rest of scripture where that end, that aim, that goal is in every tribe,

tongue, and nation, represented around his throne, giving him glory for his salvation. So let's

pray accordingly. Oh God, first and foremost, we say today at the beginning of this new year,

we trust in your word. Your word is a rock. We pray that you help us to stand on it every day. We

pray Psalm 1 over our lives that we would meditate on your word and that you would lead us and guide

us and bless us that we would experience the blessed life, the happy life, the full life, no matter

what happens in this world as we're standing on your word. We praise you that all of your word will

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