Daily Reading: Isaiah chapters 45 thru 48

Key Verse: Isaiah 45:1

Cyrus, king of Persia, was named in 44:28 as the one designated to carry God's mandate.  This is the only place in the Bible where a Gentile ruler is said to be anointed.  Cyrus decreed that all people who had been deported from other lands were free to return to their homelands, he even encouraged them to rebuild their houses of worship.  Therefore, Jews living in Babylon began to return to Jerusalem.  Cyrus did not expect anything in return from the Jews.  Cyrus would do more for God's people than most of the kings of Israel or Judah. 

As we see time and time again throughout the Old Testament, God went to great lengths to express His love for His people and to show them His faithfulness.  But often He worked His will through surprising and mysterious means.  He chose people whose lives were not committed to Him to display His power and the breadth of His dominion.  Isaiah 45:5-6

When has God used someone in a significant way in your life who was not committed to God?  Did you credit God at the time?  How is it clear now that God was behind it?  How aware are you usually of God's sovereign movement among both those who follow him and those who don't?