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One thing I appreciate about God is that he’s not bound by human constraints or limited by the human realm of possibilities. He can do whatever he wants, wherever he wants, and however he wants to do it.

Case in point: Ezra chapter 1. This passage deals with a period of time when the nation of Israel was in captivity because of their disobedience to God. Since they didn’t follow God’s commands, God caused Jerusalem to be burned to the ground and the people to be scattered all over the Middle East.

However, God then decided that their punishment had been sufficient, and so listen how God brought them back to their native land and helped them rebuilt the temple. Ezra records, “In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom and also put it in writing: ‘Thus says Cyrus king 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, which is in Judah. Whoever is among you of all his people, may his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and rebuild the house of the LORD, the God of Israel—he is the God who is in Jerusalem. And let each survivor, in whatever place he sojourns, be assisted by the men of his place with silver and gold, with goods and with beasts, besides freewill offerings for the house of God that is in Jerusalem’” (Ezra 1:1-4).

Isn’t that incredible? Here we have this pagan emperor, a man who ruled over the vast majority of the known world, and God “stirred up” his spirit, the text says, to rebuild the temple of Jerusalem. So he issues this proclamation that all the Jews should go back to Jerusalem and rebuild this temple. And not only that, but he even tells everyone else in his empire to donate all the supplies and materials the Jews will need to return to Jerusalem and begin rebuilding—and that’s exactly what happens. We have it recorded in verses 5-11.

I don’t know about you, but that amazes me. From a human perspective, returning to Jerusalem and rebuilding the temple would have seemed impossible. How would they ever secure permission from the king? How would they ever get the supplies they needed for such a great undertaking? But God showed that he was able to accomplish the impossible and make it happen.

This passage shows us that God is so much bigger than any problem and any circumstance we face. One thing we dare not do is project our weaknesses and limitations onto God. God is not us. He’s infinitely greater, infinitely more powerful, and when he purposes to do something, he’ll move heaven and earth to see that it’s accomplished.

This gives me great hope as we lay the groundwork for starting a church in Pittsburgh. Sometimes, the task before us seems overwhelming. But that’s when we remind ourselves of God’s greatness and power. We’re praying that God would do something in this city that defies human explanation—something that people will have no choice but attribute to the powerful working of God. And by faith, we believe that God is not only able but also willing to do such a work in our midst.