“I gathered them to the river that runs to Ahava, and there we camped three days… Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God, to seek from him a safe journey for ourselves, our children, and all our goods. For I was ashamed to ask the king for a band of soldiers and horsemen to protect us against the enemy on our way, since we had told the king, ‘The hand of our God is for good on all who seek him, and the power of his wrath is against all who forsake him.’ So we fasted and implored our God for this, and he listened to our entreaty.
“Then I set apart twelve of the leading priests: Sherebiah, Hashabiah, and ten of their kinsmen with them. And I weighed out to them the silver and the gold and the vessels, the offering for the house of our God that the king and his counselors and his lords and all Israel there present had offered… And I said to them, ‘You are holy to the Lord, and the vessels are holy, and the silver and the gold are a freewill offering to the Lord, the God of your fathers…’
“Then we departed from the river Ahava on the twelfth day of the first month, to go to Jerusalem. The hand of our God was on us, and he delivered us from the hand of the enemy and from ambushes by the way.” Ezra 8:15,21-25,28,31
“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen… And without faith it is impossible to please him.” Hebrews 11:1,6
The Lord God had already proven His providence and protection to Ezra by Cyrus’s allowance and provision for their return to Jerusalem. Ezra lived and breathed working faithfully for the One who’d faithfully led him. So when the time came to transport great and valuable offerings with the returning exiles, Ezra modeled for them all complete dependence on their invisible God over security of a worldly king. To live by faith was to act with confidence under His care. (Ezra 1:1-4; 6:6-12; 9:9)
Sometimes we depend on elected representatives as though they alone can solve societal ills and are able to support and protect us. Sometimes we amass material resources to prepare for whatever comes and secure our self-sufficiency. What difference in spiritual attitude would it take to approach the Lord first, in every challenge, and seek how to trust and honor Him best as we make decisions? How can we live more robustly by faith?
Where have we counted on government officials or policies as our framework and guardian? On what props of finances, shelter, insurance policies, or preparedness plans do we depend? In what situations do we rely solely on our own smarts and grit to make things happen? Are we prone to implement our varied efforts stubbornly and independently, apart from the Lord and His sovereign care? We magnify His grace and goodness by trusting Him over the ways of man. When we tell of His supernatural undergirding and provision, others are invigorated to test it also and find Him faithful.
Lord God, teach me to trust You and Your all-sufficiency so others see You magnified and receiving the honor and glory You deserve.
As the rain and snow 