In Ezra 1 we read of the fulfilment of a promise God made years earlier, with details provided to Isaiah 200 years before the event. God promised that at the end of 70 years captivity in Babylon, the Jews would be brought back to Jerusalem, and now Cyrus king of Persia was persuaded to do just that. The main motivation for the Jews to leave their home of 70 years and return is “to rebuild the house of the Lord that is in Jerusalem”.
Just as “the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia” to acknowledge God and to do His will, the Jews who returned also had their spirits stirred (roused, woken up) by God. We can be similarly motivated, stirring up each other “to love and good works”, reassured that our faith is not in vain by this example of God’s promise being precisely fulfilled.