Pastor’s Bible Reading Schedule:
Ezra 6-10
God created all of nature after a particular design including people. Nature offers not just clever metaphors but true reflections of the amazing way the created world works.
Nature displays a high degree of interactive design. I would like to share of my favorite illustrations. In the Amazon rain forest a particular water lily opens only at night. Large bright white petals spread themselves in the dark. This dazzling light attracts a particular kind of beetle that then spends the night crawling around on the flower eating its nectar. In the morning, as the sun tops the horizon, the flower closes, trapping the beetles. All day the beetles scrub around in the blossom. At dark the petals open once again, releasing the beetles.
Now the beetles are coated in pollen. They will carry this golden powder to other flowers in an obliging act of fertilization. The original flower, having released its pollen to the beetles, turns a flushed pink. This color holds no allure for the insects, and they will not return to that flower again, assuring the process of pollination. Isn’t God amazing? He absolutely thought of everything!
From our reading today, we find that after an official governmental inquiry into the temple work in Jerusalem, the Jews continued working as they waited for a response from King Darius. The king’s ruling would dictate what kind of relationship would exist between Judah and its Persian leaders. When he replied, the Jews not only found that they were allowed to complete the temple but also that the Persian Empire would help them achieve their goal.
Much like the water lily and the beetle, both would benefit from the alliance. Judah would gain its temple, and Persia would secure the support of the Jews and (the king hoped) the favor of Judah’s God.
Prayer Requests:
Personal
- Lord, please help me to never lose the awe of your amazing design and control over the world.
- Lord, please help me to follow your design and perfect will for my life.
- Lord, please help me to praise you for your marvelous creation.
Political
- Representative Gary Howell – District 82 – North Branch
- US Representative Bill Huizenga – District 2 – Zealand
- Representative Mark Huizenga – District 74 – Cedar Springs