Read It:
Ezra 1:1-5,
Ezra 2:1,
Ezra 3:10-11
Live It:
There’s nothing like coming home after a long time away. Even if home is messy, worn down, or not quite how you left it, there’s something so comforting when you get there.
Israel knew that feeling better than anyone. After years in exile, God opened the door for them to return—not to a perfect place–but to a place filled with promise. They came back to ruins, to rubble, to a temple that needed more than a little TLC. But they also came back to hope.
I love that one of the first things they did was worship. Before the walls were rebuilt, before the foundations were level, before anything looked “Instagram ready,” they lifted their voices. Some shouted for joy. Some wept. Some did both at the same time. It was messy and beautiful and real.
That’s what coming home to God feels like. You don’t have to wait until your life is perfectly rebuilt. You can go to Him with tears. With praise. And even a mix of both. And the beautiful news? He will meet you there.
Pastor Jessica