November 19

Ezra 1–2 marks the beginning of Israel’s return from exile. After seventy years in Babylon, God stirs the heart of King Cyrus to issue a decree allowing His people to go back and rebuild the temple in Jerusalem. What seemed impossible becomes reality because the hand of the Lord moves both rulers and the hearts of His people. Those who return are listed by name—each person significant, each family part of God’s redemptive plan. The journey home is not only about restoring a building, but about restoring worship and identity as God’s chosen people.

In John 21, Jesus restores another kind of brokenness—the heart of Peter. After denying Jesus three times, Peter returns to fishing, uncertain of his future. But Jesus meets him on the shore, providing breakfast and grace. Three times He asks, Do you love me? and three times He commissions Peter to feed His sheep. What had been lost through failure is restored through love. Jesus not only forgives Peter but entrusts him with purpose again.

Both Ezra’s story and Peter’s story remind us that God is a God of restoration. Whether it’s a nation in ruins or a heart weighed down by regret, He rebuilds what seems beyond repair. He stirs hearts to return, renews callings that seemed lost, and restores worship where it has grown cold. God doesn’t just bring us back from exile—He brings us back for a purpose.

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