For I was ashamed to require of the king a band of soldiers and horsemen to help us against the enemy in the way, because we had spoken unto the king, saying, The hand of our God is upon all them for good that seek him, but His power and wrath is against all them that forsake Him. Ezra 8:22
Many years ago, during an outbreak of illness in Scotland, some of the Christians in some of the Assemblies were wondering if it might be wise to adopt a system of having individual cups instead of using a single communal cup for the wine at the Lord’s Supper. Separate cups, they felt, would be more sanitary, especially in light of the sickness that was sweeping over the region. One elderly member of the oversight in one Assembly was indignant at the suggestion. ‘Dinna ye think,’ he asked, ‘that the Laird is able to look arter His ain table?’ There are times when a simple reliance on God for protection is far more effective than any measures we might take to look after ourselves. If we have declared to the world that we are relying on God, we had better be ready to do so when the crunch comes. Ezra was.
Ezra’s situation was interesting; the king had already granted him gifts and support. But Ezra had stepped out in reliance on God, and had made his position known. If he were to approach the king and asked for an armed guard as he made his way to Jerusalem, he would have sounded like a hypocrite. The dangers were great in the journey. But Ezra considered it a shame to ask for help from man when his dependence was on God. His example reminds us that we need to be careful when we make such statements. But when we do, we need to honour them. More importantly, we need to commit the matter to God, and cast ourselves utterly upon Him for His protection.
What would happen if we adopted Ezra’s attitude today? Would we see more venturesome efforts in the Gospel, as we take the Message to areas that we deem unavailable or impossible now? Would we see more fruit for God in our personal lives as we place ourselves in situations for witnessing and service that we shrink from now? We have plenty of opportunities for stepping out in faith, if we but look for them. Whether as individuals or as an Assembly, we need to be aware of these opportunities, because they offer us the privilege of bringing glory to our Lord and experiencing the joy of developing confidence in our God.
It’s a simple formula: Declare our reliance on our Lord, and then step out on that reliance to do exploits for Him. -Jim MacIntosh