EZRA’S HEROIC FAITH
“Because the hand of the Lord my God was upon me, I took courage and gathered leading men from Israel to go up with me.” (Ezra 7: 28)
Ezra was leading the second group of Jews consisting of men, women and children, who were returning to Jerusalem from Babylonian exile. Ezra had the great responsibility of carrying the things of God - the silver and gold articles to the temple of God at Jerusalem. This group had to pass through dangerous lands. They had a long weary journey of four months before them. Each new land they had to pass through held unknown perils, evil people and strange things they had not been familiar with.
They would be threatened by wild bands of robbers, who might easily swoop down as eagles upon them and make a clean sweep of all their treasures. The natural instinct was to ask the king for soldiers to protect them on their way. But Ezra remembered how confidently he had earlier spoken to the king, of God’s defense, and he felt he must be true to his words. So he halted his group at the Ahava Canal for three days, their last station before the desert, and there with fasting and prayer they put themselves in God’s hand.
This symbolic phrase, “the hand of our God” occurs frequently in the book of Ezra. The hand of God is like a mighty shield, under which one can find safety from all perils. As a child carries a tender winged butterfly safely in the hollow of his two hands, so that the wings may not be ruffled by fluttering, so the Lord carries us - feeble, unarmored creatures in the hollow of His hand. As a father may lay his own large muscular hand on his child’s tiny fingers to help him, so the hand of our God is upon us to impart power as well as protection. This was Ezra’s faith and let that be ours too.
Dear friends, let not our trust be on material things or on people, but let us trust God and place ourselves entirely under His mighty care, knowing that He is able to keep that which we have committed to Him.PRAYER: Dear Lord, in order to have total reliance on You, it is sometimes essential for me to forsake all external help and surrender absolutely to You alone. Let me have the faith of Ezra and seek You for help during times of crisis. Let Your hand be upon me, guide me and shield me. Amen..
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