Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“In the first year of King Cyrus of Persia, in order that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be accomplished, the Lord stirred up the spirit of King Cyrus of Persia so that he sent a herald throughout all his kingdom, and also in a written edict declared:
‘Thus says King Cyrus of Persia: The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he has charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem in Judah. ”
NL Daily Devotion for Monday, December 7, 2020
by Daniel D. Maurer, Clergy Stuff
It’s astonishing to me that God often uses seemingly unique means by which to show God’s presence. Over these past few days I’ve been studying the historical records from the early days Achaemenid Empire (the empire Cyrus the Great founded). The research is for a book I’m writing.
Anyway, the very next day, my good friend from North Dakota sends me a modern article referring to Cyrus the Great and I replied. And just now, I find that while writing a daily devotion for the Narrative Lectionary, the text assigned is one that, again, refers to Cyrus the Great!
A wise person once told me that there are no coincidences that to the faithful might also be interpreted as God’s hand in that one’s life. Maybe so.
Maybe this is what is meant for us, today, in reading this text! That freedom is a perception, not a state of being. I suppose that’s one way of looking at it. But for the Israelites in captivity, bondage and freedom were very real things. They saw that God’s hand worked wonders for them. Cyrus the Great wasn’t Hebrew, nor was he necessarily even informed of Hebrew teachings. He released the captives in Babylon because it was politically convenient to do so from his perspective. Suddenly, Judah was an ally, and a strong one at that.
So, was God’s hand involved in turning Cyrus’ heart? Certainly the Israelites thought so. For us, all we have is the witness of scripture, and the trust that we, too, have a God who works “coincidences” in our lives to stir us to faith and action.
God, I see your hand at work in my life. Help me to search for you in times when I feel you are absent. Amen.
