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. And in the reign of Xerxes in the beginning of his reign, they wrote an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem.
– Ezra 4:4–6
Did you hear all those words? As the people of God are working on rebuilding the temple, the people of the land discourage them, they make them afraid, they bribe counselors against them to frustrate their purpose, and they write an accusation against them. Just think of all those words; discouragement, fear, frustration, accusation. Are you familiar with any of those things in your own life? I assume you are, and maybe right now, just think about people listening to this, right now are you discouraged in any way? Are you afraid in any way? Or are you frustrated in any way? Are people accusing you in any way? Oh, don’t miss this.
Ezra 4:4–6 reminds us that our adversary wants us to be discouraged.
I think about Ephesians 6. “Our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against the spiritual force of evil in the heavenly realms.” I have no doubt that the adversary, the devil, Satan himself, right now wants to discourage you, to make you afraid, to frustrate you, and to bring accusations against you. And I just want to encourage you from the Word of God in Ezra 4 today to resist him and stand firm amidst the efforts at discouragement coming your way, amidst the efforts to make you afraid. No, be courageous and do not fear.
The Lord your God is with you. Hold fast to his Word, obey his Word with courage and without fear, and do not let the devil’s accusations against you or his attempts to frustrate God’s purpose in your life succeed. No. Fight those accusations with the word of God. Fight his attempts to frustrate God’s purpose in you with resolve to obey God. Engage in spiritual warfare today and press on, persevere with all that God is calling you to.
Ezra 4:4–6 encourages us to depend on God and embrace perseverance for his glory.
Oh God, I just pray this word over every single person listening right now, even as I pray it over my own life. God, we pray that you would remove discouragement from our lives, that you would remove fear from our lives. Even right now, oh God, that you would remove frustration of your purpose in any way in our lives. And God, that you would help us to stand against the accusations of the enemy against us in our lives. Oh God, help us to stand firm in spiritual battle today and to continue in all the work you call us to do. In every way, to obey you today, to love others as ourselves, to love you with all our heart, with courage, with boldness, with compassion, with confidence, not on ourselves, but based on your Spirit inside of us.
And God, we pray this specifically over your people who are on the frontline sharing the gospel with unreached people around the world. God, we pray that as they face all these things… Discouragement, fear, frustration, accusations… God, we pray that you would give them victory. You would help them to be strong and courageous. And to proclaim your Word with boldness and not to listen to the accusations of the enemy. We pray that he would not be able to frustrate your purpose in and through their lives.
Prayer for the Basith People
God, we pray specifically for the Basith people of India. We pray that as your people go to share the gospel with the Basith… That they would have success in that work. And not just among the Basith, but among every people group in the world. Even as we pray in our own lives… Wherever we are today… Help us to live out your purpose with humble boldness… Humble courage that comes from your Spirit who does not give us a spirit of timidity… But a spirit of power and love and self-discipline. Oh God, we pray all of this according to your word in Ezra 4:4–6. In Jesus’ name. In the name of the one who is in us, who’s greater than one who is in the world, amen.
David Platt serves as a pastor in metro Washington, D.C. He is the founder of Radical.
David received his Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and is the author of Don’t Hold Back, Radical, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, Before You Vote, as well as the multiple volumes of the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary series.
Along with his wife and children, he lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area.
