Did you know that God controls even foriegn kings? Ezra 1-5

Ezra 5:1-5 (NASBStr)

Temple Work Resumed

 When the prophets, Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo, prophesied to the Jews who were in Judah and Jerusalem in the name of the God of Israel, who was over them, then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and Jeshua the son of Jozadak arose and began to rebuild the house of God which is in Jerusalem; and the prophets of God were with them supporting them.

 At that time Tattenai, the governor of the province beyond the River, and Shethar- bozenai and their colleagues came to them and spoke to them thus, “ Who issued you a decree to rebuild this temple and to finish this structure?” Then we told them accordingly what the names of the men were who were reconstructing this building. But the eye of their God was on the elders of the Jews, and they did not stop them until a report could come to Darius, and then a written reply be returned concerning it.

The above passage in Ezra is taken and recorded after several incidents of labor dispute between the returning Jews who were re-building the temple and the people of the land, loyal to the foreign king.  The current land dwellers (who had taken possession of the land when the Jews were carried away to captivity) objected to the Temple in Jerusalem being re-built.  King Darius had told the returning Jews they could rebuild the temple.  However, he had died between the decree and the final restoration.  The people of the land, out of jealousy, tried to stop the land by writing to the new king, Artaxerxes.  That is were our lesson comes from.   The prophets Haggai and Zechariah became the encourages in the process.  Their "motivational" speeches became reminders of what the purpose of the return was all about.  The re-rebuilders of the Temple were in fear of the current land dwellers.   Haggai and Zechariah stood between the land dwellers and the returning Jews.  They refocused the Jews on who God was and that God was indeed with them.   But, they also appealed to the authority to locate the original decree of King Darius.   Here we have the prefect example of faith in God and God providing them wisdom on how to deal with the problem.  There was no open rebellious act that wasn't first directed by faith toward God and in wisdom with God.  Haggai and Zechariah were wise men who not only knew the Word of the God they knew the word of the king.   They focused the people faith away from their fear and back to faith toward God.  The only way to escape our fears is to have faith in God's love for us that He will never allow anything to happen to us that we don't need and He can't control.  Perfect love cast out all fear.