The willingness to be involved in God's plan for the world is our calling as God's people. But unfortunately not many people realize it. We are busy with our own affairs to pursue comfort and security in life. So it is important for us to provide ourselves in His plan. As we see in this reading.

The restoration of Jerusalem took place in stages. The first thing the Jews did was build the city wall of Jerusalem. The construction of this wall was important because of the threat that could come at any time from other nations around them. After the wall was completed, the next step was to organize the resettlement process. If the city looked empty, it was likely to be re-occupied by non-Jews with evil intentions. We must honestly admit that the process was not easy. Life in Babylon was much more stable because the challenges in Jerusalem were so great. Stability had not been maintained plus the security threats from the nations around them. So the solution offered was to cast lots (verse 2). At that time, “casting lots” was experienced as Divine intervention in resolving complex matters. Those who were chosen went to Jerusalem to settle there, leaving comfort, heading to the threshold of faith and life based on His promises and love.

The people praised the willingness of these people who were willing to settle in Jerusalem. They knew that it was not easy to start a life in the city. Moreover, they had to face the long journey that had to be taken from Babylon to Jerusalem. Those who came and settled in Jerusalem were recorded based on their ethnic origin. One of those mentioned in this verse was Judah and Benjamin. From these two tribes, there were four hundred and sixty-eight people recorded who settled in Jerusalem. They were members of the heads of the province of Judah who were willing to settle in Jerusalem. The priests who joined the group were also recorded.

Making oneself available to be involved in His plan thus involves a step of faith to choose and live out that choice in the belief that that is what God has called us to do. The path that hinders our choice may not be easy, but God will definitely accompany us because He is the one who calls us to be involved in the manifestation of His work. We may have to leave many of the comforts of life behind in the process, but that is precisely when we learn of His promises and hopes that are always revealed in this world.