Heart in His Hand!

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King Darius sent this message:
Governor Tattenai of Western Province and Shethar Bozenai, you and your advisors must stay away from the temple.

Let the Jewish governor and leaders rebuild it where it stood before. And stop slowing them down! Starting at once, I am ordering you to help the leaders by paying their expenses from the tax money collected in Western Province.  And don't fail to let the priests in Jerusalem have whatever they need each day so they can offer sacrifices to the God of heaven. Give them young bulls, rams, sheep, as well as wheat, salt, wine, and olive oil.

I want them to be able to offer pleasing sacrifices to God and to pray for me and my family. If any of you don't obey this order, a wooden beam will be taken from your house and sharpened on one end. Then it will be driven through your body, t and your house will be torn down and turned into a garbage dump.

I ask the God who is worshiped in Jerusalem to destroy any king or nation who tries either to change what I have said or to tear down his temple. I, Darius, give these orders, and I expect them to be followed carefully.

Ezra 6:6-12

King Darius was used by God to accomplish His purpose of rebuilding the temple even though Darius was not a believer. Although mankind was given free will and therefore can choose to accept or reject the purpose of God, it is quite common for a king to be influenced to make the will of God a reality!

God's will can be accomplished by Godly leaders, but it can also be done by ungodly rascals. When you pray for God's will in the world, don't forget that it is not dependent on how righteous the leader of your nation is.

Proverbs 21:1 says "The heart of the king is in the hand of the Lord."

So if you are concerned about a wicked ruler, take heart. God has the heart of even that wicked man in His hand and He will see to it that His purposes are fulfilled even through an evil ruler.

"Lord, I thank You again for giving me the courage to be at peace even when our leaders are not righteous. May Your will be done in everything. Amen."