Ezra was a great leader whose whole life was dedicated to serving God. He wrote of 1&2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, and Psalms 119…and led a council of men who compiled the OT.

The Book of Ezra is about God’s promise that the Jews would return to Jerusalem after exile as prophesied in (Jeremiah 44:28-45:6) over a century before. Ezra continues the Bibles story line by proving and fulfilling what was said, prophesied and promised over time, and then moving forward to what is still to come.

So what did Ezra do? The first thing Ezra did was work on everyone’s walk with God. He worked to have the Jews build the altar, begin offering sacrifices, giving gifts, and celebrating their festivals (For us it might be Christmas and Easter). He taught wherever he went. He was motivated to rebuild the brokenness in the lives of the people with the basics of their faith.

What does this have to do with us? There is brokenness in our lives too. For many of us we’re experiencing, or have experienced, or will experience incredible brokenness in our lives. We need to see the unmistakable hope and truth that God brings in His plan. In the Book of Ezra, God is showing us how to restore the brokenness of our lives by focusing on the altar of our hearts. The basics of our faith.

The return from Exile in the Book of Ezra is a picture of what God’s salvation is like. Jesus wants to bring people out of exile…being brought back to God from a place of judgement. And it starts with the fundamentals of our faith. To seek God, read His Word, pray, cry out, confess, and recommit ourselves to Him. In all aspects of our life.

May we each grab hold of our faith, leaning hard into the basics. May we stand in the gap and point others towards Him.