A STIRRED UP HEART

Ezra 1:5 “Then God stirred the hearts of the priests and Levites and the leaders…to rebuild the Temple of the Lord.”

For whatever reason, lately, I have been thinking back upon my young adulthood. At the age of twenty or twenty-one, I had limitless dreams and powerful ambition. I had a wish list that seemed a mile long. I had mapped out such huge portions of my life. I wanted to accomplish some things by the age of twenty-five and others by the age of thirty. Looking back now, I apparently thought my life would be over by thirty-five because I left myself nothing to accomplish after thirty. Now, I am getting VERY close to thirty-five and the list isn’t complete. In fact, some of it never got started.
I can attribute some of that to unrealistic goals set by a young man who was unmarried, had no children, and had very little responsibility. I wish that was the only reason. But, to be honest, much of it is the result of dulled ambition and lots of excuses. As the years have passed, the passion has waned. Life kinda got in the way of living. At twenty-one, just talking about what I wanted to accomplish would get me so excited. My heart rate would increase. I would start talking so fast. It meant so much to me. In my mid-thirties, I have found myself just having less energy on many issues. I suppose it is somewhat natural.
Lately though, something has happened. I find myself in the middle of a project that is what I’ve always wanted to do. It has consumed much of my time and energy. But it is more than that. God has stirred my heart and reminded me of my passions and ambitions. By stirring my heart, he has reminded me of who I am. It has been a long time, since I have felt this way about anything. I can’t stop pressing towards the goal.
In Ezra, we find an account of those who had become complacent in their current circumstance. God’s people had been in bondage, without a place to worship God. It must have been discouraging. It probably was also all too easy to get accustomed to the way things were. As time passed, thoughts of the Temple may have come along less and less. But God stirred hearts. First he stirred the heart of King Cyrus, then, he stirred the hearts of the leaders. Thus, the process of rebuilding God’s temple began with a stirred up heart.
Sometimes, we all need a little stirring of the heart. No matter the reason for complacency -- failure, discouragement, stress, or so many others, God will revive our passion. What have you dreamed of doing for God? What have you wished for yourself? If you have not fulfilled those dreams, stay hungry and remain faithful. Time will pass without fail. However, time does not have power to steal our dreams. Allow God to stir your heart and see those long lost dreams live again.