Joel M Bradshaw

11…And all the people shouted with a great shout when they praised the LORD, because the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid.–Ezra 3

1. When the Babylonians carried Judah into exile, the Temple was destroyed.
2. Imagine how that felt. What questions they might have secretly asked.
3. Not only was the nation defeated, but was God?
4. Now imagine seeing God’s goodness and the joy of rebuilding the Temple again.
5. Some of you reading this have gone through trauma or hardship. Your life has not been easy, and you might have wondered where God has been through all the pain.
6. You might have stayed away from church or stopped worship altogether. I know I have been faced with my own selfishness and bitterness before.
7. Judah went back home and worshiped again. They rejoiced at the new, good things God had done. Life had been hard, but God was still worthy of praise. This is my story. May it be your story too, my friends.–JMB