Opportunity to Trust the LORD

Ezra 8:22 ~ "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.'"

​There may come that time when your testimony of faith will be put to the test. You, then, will have the opportunity to trust the LORD.

During the time of rebuilding the Temple of the LORD in Jerusalem, Ezra knew that enemies surrounded him. Opposition forces stood against the project and often threatened the work or tried to coerce the king to put a stop to the effort (see Ezra 4:11-13). Yet, under the leadership of Ezra, the Temple was rebuilt and the worship of the LORD resumed in Jerusalem--just as God had commanded.

When all that had been accomplished, it was time for Ezra and the Levites to travel. Ezra had seen the mighty hand of the LORD work on behalf of the project, but now that it was done, would God continue to deliver Ezra? With confidence in the LORD, Ezra conveyed his faith to the king. But confidence in God is not proved merely with words, but with action.

Take, as an example, the three men who were sent to the fires of Nebuchadnezzar. Daniel 3:16-18 says, "Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, 'O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.'" Their faith was not merely in their words, but in their actions as well. Even if they did not survive the fire, they would remain true to the LORD.

And such was Ezra's dilemma. He had spoken to the king and told the king that God would do good for those who seek Him. But that brings the test to its reality: would Ezra trust the LORD or ask for guards to take them through the gauntlet of haters. Ezra certainly would have had the right to such protections. As the leader of rebuilding the Temple, Ezra had made several powerful enemies. But he had told Artaxerxes about his faith in God. 

It would have been of no great concern when Peter saw the LORD Jesus and asked Him to command that the fisherman step out of the boat if the boat was in drydock. But Peter's opportunity to trust the LORD Jesus was out upon the waves of the sea (see Matthew 14:29). 

Let us gaze upon a few examples. Do you believe that it is only through Jesus Christ that a person can be saved from the wrath of God, and in that belief do you share the gospel? Do you believe that the prayer of the righteous is of great effect (see James 5:16) and then do you fervently pray? You see, at every moment of our testimony of believing God, there will be a corresponding opportunity to trust the LORD. James tells us, in James 2:17-18 that a faith apart from action is dead. "So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. But someone will say, 'You have faith and I have works.' Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works."

Real faith is to take God at His word and DO, not merely listen to, what He says. And that is the case for Ezra. He testified to his faith in God, and now it will be tested. Beloved, when you have an opportunity to obey God by faith, make sure you take it.

In His Grace,
Pastor Michael

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