The year was 539 BCE and the long-cherished hopes of ever returning to Jerusalem were fading fast. Jewish children who had been born in exile were now grandparents. They were enslaved by the Tigris and Euphrates rivers that fueled the agricultural economy of famous Babylon, an empire that oppressed its captive peoples with apparent impunity.
But God challenged that Babylonian sense of omnipotence. In Isaiah 44:27 God said, "I am the Lord who says to the watery deep ‘Dry up!’... and I will dry up your steams."
Or as another translation has it “When I speak to the rivers and say, ‘Dry up!’ they will be dry.”
This promise seemed like wishful hyperbole to the Babylonian exiles, but in October 539, the Persian army captured Babylon without a fight and Cyrus, the king of Persia brought in a new policy of religious tolerance and national restoration. He issued a proclamation allowing the Jewish captives to return home and re-build their ruined city.
God broke through the impossible barrier. Just as the Red Sea had dried up centuries earlier as the Hebrews escaped from Egypt, now the surprised exiles walked out of Mesopotamia with full imperial funding and support.
I remember a childhood song my Dad used to sing:
Got any rivers you think are un-crossable?
Got any mountains you can’t tunnel thru?
God specializes in things thought impossible
He does the things others cannot do.
As a kid I assumed this was a guaranteed “Get out of jail free” card.
What break-through are you desperately praying for? What rivers are you hoping will open up to allow you to live life to the full? The God who opens up unexpected paths through uncrossable frontiers is still in the business of being God. Trust him.
If you’ve ever experienced God bringing about a break-through in your life, share it in the comment box below.
I’ll have some more observations from this song in future posts this week.
Photo Credits:
Water Graphic - bonfirehealth
Euphrates River - Ferrell Jenkins
Imprisoned - Jerry Reynolds Photography
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