Ezra 1:1-2 — Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying, Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, The Lord God of heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth; and he hath charged me to build him an house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah.

This is an extraordinary passage in scripture. It makes two points that are a foundation of hope for every Christian every day.
First, “That that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled” … Seventy years before the first year of Cyrus’s reign, the prophet Jeremiah said:

And this whole land shall be a desolation, and an astonishment; and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years. And it shall come to pass, when seventy years are accomplished, that I will punish the king of Babylon, and that nation, saith the Lord, for their iniquity, and the land of the Chaldeans, and will make it perpetual desolations. (Jeremiah 25:11-12)

Jeremiah spoke the word of The Lord. From prophesy to fulfillment was exactly the period that the prophesy said it would be.
Even in the worst of times, the people of Israel could be certain that the word of God, spoken by His prophets and written in scripture, would be fulfilled exactly as written.
Second, “the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia”. It would be so easy to miss this. The proclamation was issued at the instance of Cyrus king of Persia.?? Cyrus was no Jewish hero, no Jewish King. He was the gentile ruler of one of the greatest empires the world had ever seen. External evidence suggests that Cyrus was, if anything, a polytheist — perhaps with Marduk as “chief God”, but recognizing many others. However that might be, he knew that “The Lord God of heaven … hath charged me to build him an house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah.”
The Jewish people could be certain that God’s word would always have its effect, and that God always has an instrument to hand even in the worst of times — even when the instrument is a pagan emperor!
I said that this passage of scripture was a foundation of hope for Christians today. With the gathering storm clouds in the Middle East we certainly need it. But look at what we have said. Even in the worst of times, God’s word will be fulfilled exactly as it has been delivered, and God always has an instrument to execute His will.
No matter how bad things seem, the word of The Lord never fails.