READ Ezra 1:5-7
5 Then God stirred the hearts of the priests and Levites and the leaders of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin to go to Jerusalem to rebuild the Temple of the Lord. (Ezra 1:5 NLT)
God raised a man from obscurity... from among the ranks of the ordinary to a task of impossibility. God stirred hearts. Ezra was a man who did not gain celebrity status... yet created a profound impact in the lives of many... because God stirred his heart. It was toward the end of the Babylonian captivity that God stirred hearts to rebuild the temple. Why rebuild the temple... because the worship of God has always been central in the lives of the people of God.
The bigger picture is the worship of God is central, not only for Israel but for all who will believe in Messiah! It is always wise to see the bigger picture beyond one’s self. “Selfie” is neat, I enjoy it myself... yet too much “selfie” is alarming—you do not see the bigger picture because focus is on self.
God stirred the hearts of the priests and Levites together with Ezra and many other ordinary and obscure folks— they are about to see beyond “selfie”! We will probe and ponder what is really involved when God stirs our hearts. We shall see it not only from a spiritual and emotional point-of-view. We will ask concretely what the price of a God-stirred heart is. At the end, we shall solemnly ask these honest questions:
1. Do I have a choice?
2. What are the details involved when God stirs a heart?
3. What's the bigger picture I need to see regarding A God-stirred heart?
4. How do I know God is stirring my heart?
I cannot promise that all these questions will be answered. I am not even sure if there are answers, but I am glad we have the courage to ask and the interest to look at this issue.
Here are my thoughts:
1. A God-stirred Heart will experience an Undeniable Struggle of the Soul
It involves an inward disturbance. It causes untamed discontent in what you are currently doing. Clearly, if what you are doing is evil, stop it! What is involved here is challenge the “good” you are doing. Can it be traced to a God-stirred heart?
It will expose a deep emptiness until you discover God's direction. When God removes a passion, what you were once passionate about; God puts heaviness in your heart... something you cannot label. God might be stirring your heart. Drop what you’re doing and pay attention!
God's stirring drove Ezra to come out of obscurity and while being just ordinary, he was doing the humanly impossible task! God’s stirring the hearts of the Priests and Levites made them builders of the temple. God stirring the heart of King Cyrus caused him to return what Nebuchadnezzar took from God's temple.
Think what your scenario would be when God stirs your heart?
2. A God-stirred heart will enjoy and endure the presence of God in sacred moments of SOLITUDE
A disciplined delight in the presence of God. Being present in the Presence of God in prayer cultivates spiritual sensitivity to God's stirring. Solitude is protected time to be alone with God! One cannot truly say “I love you” and deliberately enjoy being afar! It's a special venue to be really human and vulnerable before God. It is liberating to know that we do not come to God clean — we come to be cleansed! In solitude, many things are better left unexplained... it is a mysterious meeting with the one who stirred your heart!
3. A God-stirred heart will be enlightened to respond in Unconditional Surrender. Without God's stirring, we cannot even desire surrendering to God. We are perpetually numb! Since we have been stirred, we can now respond. Because God stirred, can now release. Because God stirred, we can now repent.
Because God stirred, we can now be redeemed. A God-stirred heart is not that peaceful. It creates holy chaos, spiritual stress. At the end of the day, in the final analysis of it all, a safe life with an unstirred heart is not worth living. God, if you are stirring some hearts today, please include mine. I pray that this will be our prayer... Amen. Thanks for reading.