(Pt. 8) Book of Ezra | The Cornerstone
Bible Study
Worship, weeping, and the glory to come
Day 7: The Foundation Is Laid
Scripture Focus: Ezra 3
Devotional
After all the names… after the counting, the journey, the return…
They laid the altar.
They kept the feasts.
And then—they laid the foundation.
It wasn’t the full temple yet. It wasn’t glory returned.
It was just the beginning—but it was sacred.
Some wept. Some shouted. Some remembered the former house, while others had never seen it. But all were present when the foundation was set, and praise filled the air.
“For He is good,
for His lovingkindness endures forever toward Israel.” (Ezra 3:11)
This is how restoration begins:
Not with walls or ceilings, but with an altar and a song.
Not with crowds or status, but with a stirred spirit and faithful hands.
You don’t have to be finished to worship.
You don’t have to see the full picture to praise.
You don’t need the temple built to know the King is near.
Some of us are still rebuilding.
Some of us are still laying foundation stones.
Some of us are holding back tears, remembering what was lost.
But don’t let the weeping keep you from the wonder.
Because Yahweh is building something again.
And this house—the one He is building in you—
Will carry a greater glory than the one that came before.
Return & Rebuild Prompt
Where is Yahweh laying a new foundation in your life?
Is it uncomfortable? Humbling? Healing?
Write down what you sense He is doing beneath the surface.
“Father, I offer You these foundation stones…”
Scripture Meditation
“And all the people shouted with a great shout when they praised Yahweh, because the foundation of the house of Yahweh was laid.”
—Ezra 3:11
“The glory of this latter house shall be greater than the former…”
—Haggai 2:9
Closing Prayer
Father Yahweh,
You are the Architect of restoration.
You take the broken and begin again.
You stir, You call, You number, You lead.
Even when I’ve wept over what was lost,
You’ve been faithful to lay something new.
I worship You not because I see the full temple,
But because I know the foundation is Yours.
Let my heart be an altar.
Let my days be a dwelling place for Your glory.
And may what You build in me
be stronger, deeper, and more holy
than anything I’ve known before.
In Yahushua’s name,
Amen➕Amen!!
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