29 April | EVERYONE
«For I was ashamed to request of the king an escort of soldiers and horsemen to help us against the enemy on the road, because we had spoken to the king, saying, ‘The hand of our God is upon all those for good who seek Him, but His power and His wrath are against all those who forsake Him.’» Ezra 8:22
It was time to leave. Ezra did not dare to lead the people in the blessed work of restoration without first seeking divine power and protection through prayer and fasting. He had gone to the king and told him that God would protect him from his enemies on the way back to his land. His heart, however, shook as he saw the captives gathered by the river, ready to undertake the strenuous march to Jerusalem, and at the thought of the dangers they would face.
In front of him were whole families with their children and their elderly. He closed his eyes for a moment, and the risks that awaited them began to parade in his mind. Thieves, wild desert, hunger, and thirst.
Under these circumstances, it would have seemed wise to ask the king to send soldiers with them. But then, as we read in today’s verse, he decided that to do so would be to bear bad witness to the king (Artaxerxes) about the protection of the God of Israel.
Many of us speak eloquently about the trust we should place in God, but when it comes time to face life’s challenges and dangers, we usually begin to make human calculations and leave the wonderful discourses of faith in the closet of our fears. True trust in God moves out of the comfortable, bright realm of words and into the swampy terrain of reality.
We wander in this world of insecurities and constant threats, but at our side marches a God who loves us and is willing to go with us to the end.
Take Action
When you are before the abyss, throw yourself in! You will do it without a (visible) net but sustained by the faith that clings to the mighty hand of the God who loves you tirelessly. Sing “The Hand of Our God” (if possible, with your family).