God stirs hearts for His purpose because He loves us and is a God of intervention. Have you ever cooked something that required some stirring? Stirring usually takes time; when God’s Holy Spirit stirs in us, it also takes time. What happens when the Holy Spirit stirs in your heart? Sometimes I think of the Lord as a fantastic cook stirring up new things in our lives to transform us. A cook is the one who does the stirring. It is the cook who takes action. As the Lord stirs our hearts through the power of the Holy Spirit, He acts like a divine intruder. He interrupts our lives for His purposes. What does this tell you about the Lord’s interest in you as a person?
The Lord Stirred the Heart of King Cyrus
The Israelites found themselves in captivity in Babylon due to their sin, but the Lord would use this time to refine them. Jeremiah, the prophet, prophesied that they would return to Israel after seventy years of captivity. The Lord would fulfill this promise as he stirred the heart of Cyrus to allow the people to return to Jerusalem. Ezra 1:1 In the first year of King Cyrus of Persia, the Lord fulfilled the prophecy he had given through Jeremiah. He stirred the heart of Cyrus.[1]
The Lord would also stir the hearts of the Levites, priests, and other leaders to rebuild the Temple when they returned from captivity. Good things happen when the Lord stirs our hearts because He desires us to fulfill His great plans. As God moves our hearts, it changes our spirits. My son loves to make coffee, and it changes when he stirs cream or other ingredients into the coffee.
The stirring of the priest and Levites would move them to a new normal. A significant theme in the book of Ezra is that God intervenes in people’s lives by stirring hearts into action. The Lord stirred the hearts of His people to bring about the change and restoration He desired.
The Holy Spirit Stirs in Our Hearts
Can you think of a time when the Holy Spirit stirred in your heart? How did the Holy Spirit lead you to faith? How has the conviction of sin by the Holy Spirit kept you on God’s path for your life? The Bible tells us that without the conviction of sin by the Holy Spirit, we would not realize our need for forgiveness and the need for a Savior.
Perhaps you have not come to faith yet, but today the Holy Spirit is stirring in your heart. The Lord is showing you there is more to life than this brief existence. Today the Lord may be urging you to call on Him to be your personal Lord and Savior.
To learn how God stirs hearts for His purpose, listen here:
https://podpoint.com/light-of-christ-church-podcast/journey-return
[1] Tyndale House Publishers. (2015). Holy Bible: New Living Translation (Ezr 1:1). Tyndale House Publishers.