Then the people of the land discouraged the people of Judah and made them afraid to build and bribed counselors against them to frustrate their purpose, all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia.” Ezra 4:4–5
Don’t be surprised when there is opposition as you labor to do the work that Jesus has set. Don’t be surprised if that opposition seemingly goes on forever.
In the passage above, the people of God are rebuilding the temple and the city. They have returned from exile and have been given the decree to rebuild. God has absolutely given them the calling and the desire to rebuild the temple and the city so they can once again live safely and worship their God in the temple. They are doing the work of God, God has called them to rebuild, so it should be all smooth sailing, right?
Not from what we see here. The people of God face opposition. The people in the land oppose God’s people: they strike fear into them, they cause strife with those who are overseeing them, and they never cease in their opposition. They keep opposing and keep being a thorn in the side to those who are doing God’s work.
Do you ever feel like this? Do you feel like the calling God has given you is consistently being attacked, hindered, and maligned? Does doing the work God has given you sometimes frustrate you?
Do not be discouraged. Jesus gave you tough work to do. Satan will seek to slow you, discourage you, and cause you to spend more energy worrying about the opposition against you than the mission you are called to.
The world is naturally hostile to the mission of Jesus (John 3:20) because Jesus came to expose the sin and darkness of the world. If you are on mission, you will face opposition, but remember the promises of Christ, “Take heart; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).
