Daily Devotional
By Pastor Jerry Teboe
A Closer Walk with Christ in 2026
Ezra 1:1-2
Now 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, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying, Ezr 1:2 Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, The LORD God of heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth; and he hath charged me to build him an house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah.
Our study today is in the book of Ezra. This is an Old Testament book that comes at the end of the Babylonian captivity which lasted for 70 years. A new king was on the throne. The Babylonian empire had fallen. (See the fifth chapter of Daniel for details.) The new king was called Cyrus. His coming was prophesied over 150 years earlier by Isaiah in Isaiah 44:28, That saith of Cyrus, He is my shepherd, and shall perform all my pleasure: even saying to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be built; and to the temple, Thy foundation shall be laid. God had given Isaiah the prophesy of this man coming to power many years before the man was born. We know that God is in control over the nations and the rulers of the earth, and He knows ahead of time what will take place.
This is a precious truth for believers today. We praise the Lord that God knows the future and that He is in control of our lives and is able to guide us through the difficult decisions we must make. If God was able to name the ruler of the Persian Empire before the empire ever came to power, don’t you think He can see our future and the solution to each need that we will ever have?
We see in Ezra that God allowed Israel to return to their own land after the 70 years, which had been prophesied, was fulfilled. Not only that, He was going to allow Israel to rebuild their temple so that men could commune with their Holy God and be restored to favor with Him. Praise the Lord that we serve a God who is in total control and who loves us so much that He would purchase our redemption and call us to Himself.
Have you ever been in a difficult position and did not know what to do? We serve a God who knows and can guide us through the rough stretches of our lives. The Bible tells us to seek the Lord while He may be found. Seek ye the Lord while He may be found, call ye upon him while He is near (Isaiah 55:6). When we do this, we will be able to praise the Lord that God’s plan always prevails.
Bible Reading for the Year
July 20th, Psalms 36-37; Acts 23:1-11
Prayer Needs
Continue to pray for Jennifer Teboe Buchamer. Please keep praying for complete healing. She is in ECU hospital getting a blood transfusion and antibiotics.
Please pray for Linda Franks who will have thoracic surgery on July 23rd.
Please pray for Lance and Erin Pippin. They left early Saturday morning for a mission’s trip to Mexico with YUGO ministries and arrived safely. They will be giving away clothes, food, and helping build houses. They return next Saturday. Pray for their safety and God’s blessing on their ministry.
Please continue to pray for Shirley Deans. Friday the 17th, she saw her cancer doctor for the results of her bone marrow biopsy. Praise the Lord!! No bone cancer! She continues her chemo treatments this week.
Please continue to pray for Dr. Joe Jordan. He is doing physical therapy but still has a long way to go. Pray for him to get stronger! He had an appointment with his hematologist on Tuesday, the 14th, and he will have to take shots to improve his red blood cell count.
Please continue to pray for Kenny Deans. He had an appointment on Tuesday, July 14th, with his kidney doctor. He had a scan of his kidneys; the doctor doesn’t have the scan results yet.
Please continue to pray for Peggy Warren. She is facing some difficult challenges.
Please continue to pray for Robbie Harvey who has MAC lung disease. He seems some better, and the pain has decreased some.
Please pray for Carolyn Tyson’s sister, Shirley Deal. She now has an infection and is under hospital care.
Please continue to pray for Marvin Silverthorne for his eyesight to improve.
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Pray for our Missionaries!
Sue Singleton and the mission in Cambodia
Dr. Joe Jordan and the CBM (Cross and Bible Ministries)
Travis and Caroline Fennessy – IBM missionaries to Southeast Asia