Encouragement can come in many ways. God's Word can and does and should encourage us. God's people can and do and should encourage us. But, should something that an ungodly politician do encourage us? Note Ezra's response to the King of Persia's decrees concerning the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem:
Ezra 7:27-28
Blessed be the Lord, the God of our fathers, who has put such a thing as this in the king’s heart, to adorn the house of the Lord which is in Jerusalem, and has extended lovingkindness to me before the king and his counselors and before all the king’s mighty princes. Thus I was strengthened according to the hand of the Lord my God upon me, and I gathered leading men from Israel to go up with me.
Subject: God is in control - even of the ungodly rulers in our midst
Even in the midst of captivity God was moving. God, after exactly 70 years (the time He said they would be in captivity) moved in the heart of an ungodly king to send the captives back to build the temple. The king also sent them back with all the treasures that the previous king had taken from the temple. The king also made sure they had material to build the temple and were not taxed in the same way others in the land were currently taxed. In a time of great evil God protected His people. In a time of great hardship and captivity God not only protected His people He accomplished His will through an ungodly king. This was an encouragement to Ezra. When Ezra sees the "kindness of the king" he is not confused as to where this kindness comes from. It wasn't out of the bowels of the king but from the compassion and sovereign moving of his God. Ezra sang the praises of God in this doxology. God had moved in the heart of an ungodly king to have compassion on His people. In the midst of a society like we live in today, let's not forget that God can and does move in the rulers of today. God can and does move the "kings" heart the way He wants. God uses His sovereign power to accomplish His will. That should encourage you.
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