Today is Canada’s first annual ‘National Day for Truth and Reconciliation’. The day honors the lost children and Survivors of residential schools, their families and communities. It reminds us of tragic and painful history, that will hopefully fuel the reconciliation and relational healing process going forward. So today, I offer a prayer for reconciliation and…
Month: September 2021
Ezra 6
In this chapter the persecution from Judah’s enemies backfires, and Darius (King of Persia) decrees they are to provide everything Judah needs in order to complete their work on the temple and celebrate the Passover. “On the fourteenth day of the first month, the returned exiles kept the Passover. It was eaten by the people…
Ezra 5
This chapter describes the events around the renewed effort to rebuild the temple. “Now the prophets, Haggai and Zechariah… prophesied to the Jews who were in Judah and Jerusalem, in the name of the God of Israel who was over them. Then Zerubbabel… and Jeshua… arose and began to rebuild the house of God that…
Ezra 4
This chapter informs us of opposition against the rebuilding of the temple. “Then the people of the land discouraged the people of Judah and made them afraid to build and bribed counselors against them to frustrate their purpose, all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia….
Ezra 3
This chapter contains the first stage of rebuilding the altar and temple. “And all the people shouted with a great shout when they praised the Lord, because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid. But many of the priests and Levites and heads of fathers’ houses, old men who had seen the…
Ezra 2
This chapter contains a ledger of the Judeans/Israelites who returned to Judah and begin rebuilding the temple. “Now these were the people of the province who came up out of the captivity of those exiles whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried captive to Babylonia. They returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his…
Ezra 1
The kingdom of Israel has been in Assyrian exile, and the kingdom of Judah was taken into Babylonian exile. Babylon was recently conquered by Persia, so there’s a new king (Cyrus) overseeing Judah’s captivity. 2 Chr 22-23 tells us that God leads Persia’s King Cyrus’ to send someone back to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem….
A Prayer for Leaders and Followers
Yesterday was the official voting day for Canada’s federal election. I offer a prayer for wisdom and guidance for governmental leaders, that our countries may be led well over the next number of years. I also pray that people of the world honor and respect those God has allowed into places of influence, especially when…
Proverbs 31
This chapter is unique in the way it really emphasizes and praises the qualities of a God-honoring woman. Let’s remember that in ancient times women generally went unrecognized, especially for their critical roles and hard work. They were viewed as property, something less than human. Thankfully society has come a long way in giving women…
A Prayer for Physical Stewardship
Today I’m changing it up a little bit by offering a prayer for making wise choices about our bodies. I admit I consistently make poor choices regarding my body, especially when it comes to eating healthy or exercising. Though the Bible says spiritual health is far more important than physical wellbeing, we’re still not supposed…