September 2019 – Praying Pint

3.z. “The thing that you are doing is not good”

Nehemiah 5:1Now there arose a great outcry of the people and of their wives against their Jewish brothers. For there were those who said, “With our sons and our daughters, we are many. So let us get grain, that we may eat and keep alive.” There were also those who said, “We are mortgaging our fields, our vineyards, and our houses to get grain because of the famine.” And there were those who said, “We have borrowed money for the king’s tax on our fields and our vineyards. Now our flesh is as the flesh of our brothers, our children are as their children. Yet we are forcing our sons and our daughters to be slaves, and some of our daughters have already been enslaved, but it is not in our power to help it, for other men have our fields and our vineyards.”

I was very angry when I heard their outcry and these words. I took counsel with myself, and I brought charges against the nobles and the officials. I said to them, “You are exacting interest, each from his brother.” And I held a great assembly against them and said to them, “We, as far as we are able, have bought back our Jewish brothers who have been sold to the nations, but you even sell your brothers that they may be sold to us!” They were silent and could not find a word to say. So I said, “The thing that you are doing is not good. Ought you not to walk in the fear of our God to prevent the taunts of the nations our enemies? Moreover, I and my brothers and my servants are lending them money and grain. Let us abandon this exacting of interest. Return to them this very day their fields, their vineyards, their olive orchards, and their houses, and the percentage of money, grain, wine, and oil that you have been exacting from them.” Then they said, “We will restore these and require nothing from them. We will do as you say.” And I called the priests and made them swear to do as they had promised. I also shook out the fold of my garment and said, “So may God shake out every man from his house and from his labor who does not keep this promise. So may he be shaken out and emptied.” And all the assembly said “Amen” and praised the Lord. And the people did as they had promised.

Nehemiah called out the nobles and officials who were, in essence, keeping their brothers in slavery. They were making a profit off of their Jewish brothers and sisters hardship. He called out their sin in a public setting and told them to stop this oppression. What they were doing was right and ok to do in other cultures but in the eyes of God, this was a sinful way to treat their fellow Israelites. When times were hard those who had plenty used it to acquire more from those who had little. I am sure in the minds of those nobles and officials they were following what was culturally acceptable in the business world. After Nehemiah called them out on their sin they agreed and promised, in front of this great gathering of people, to give back the interest, fields, and vineyards they had been taking and to stop this practice. Nehemiah did not stop there. He then called out the priests and made them swear covenant promised before God and everyone. He even called on God to curse them if they did not hold true to their commitment.

We are challenged every day. As followers of Jesus Christ must make decisions that choose between the culturally acceptable practices of this world and what is commanded and expected in God’s word. When we are complacent and neglectful in our devotion and study of His word the clarity between these culturally accepted practices and commands/expectations in God’s word becomes blurred. They become blurred because the word of God is not in us. The desire of His word is not in us. The want to grow, mature, and live to honor God more is not in us. We have been given free will to choose to how we live in honor of the great price Jesus Christ paid for our sin. Does your life honor Him? Are you seeking to know Him more and more? Are you desiring to be changed deep within your heart, mind, and soul in such a way that brings you closer, builds your faith and trust deeper, and honors Jesus Christ more fully each day?

Now is the time to begin living anew for Jesus Christ.

3.y. “The God of heaven will make us prosper, and we his servants will arise and build”

Nehemiah 2:11 So I went to Jerusalem and was there three days. Then I arose in the night, I and a few men with me. And I told no one what my God had put into my heart to do for Jerusalem. There was no animal with me but the one on which I rode. I went out by night by the Valley Gate to the Dragon Spring and to the Dung Gate, and I inspected the walls of Jerusalem that were broken down and its gates that had been destroyed by fire. Then I went on to the Fountain Gate and to the King’s Pool, but there was no room for the animal that was under me to pass. Then I went up in the night by the valley and inspected the wall, and I turned back and entered by the Valley Gate, and so returned. And the officials did not know where I had gone or what I was doing, and I had not yet told the Jews, the priests, the nobles, the officials, and the rest who were to do the work.

Then I said to them, “You see the trouble we are in, how Jerusalem lies in ruins with its gates burned. Come, let us build the wall of Jerusalem, that we may no longer suffer derision.” And I told them of the hand of my God that had been upon me for good, and also of the words that the king had spoken to me. And they said, “Let us rise up and build.” So they strengthened their hands for the good work. But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite servant and Geshem the Arab heard of it, they jeered at us and despised us and said, “What is this thing that you are doing? Are you rebelling against the king?” Then I replied to them, “The God of heaven will make us prosper, and we his servants will arise and build, but you have no portion or right or claim in Jerusalem.”

Lamentations 3:45-46   You have made us scum and garbage among the peoples.  “All our enemies open their mouths against us;

Lamentations 2:8-9   The LORD determined to lay in ruins the wall of the daughter of Zion; he stretched out the measuring line; he did not restrain his hand from destroying; he caused rampart and wall to lament; they languished together.  Her gates have sunk into the ground; he has ruined and broken her bars; her king and princes are among the nations; the law is no more, and her prophets find no vision from the LORD.

Psalms 89:50-51     Remember, O Lord, how your servants are mocked, and how I bear in my heart the insults of all the many nations,  with which your enemies mock, O LORD, with which they mock the footsteps of your anointed.

Isaiah 35:3-4    Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees.  Say to those who have an anxious heart, “Be strong; fear not! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God. He will come and save you.”

Nehemiah went to Jerusalem sometime after he had sent Ezra and the first waves of exiles who had returned. These first to return had been there long enough to have married foreign women and have a child. Nehemiah came sometime after sending Ezra and the repentance and turning back to God of those first to come. Imagine what was going through his mind all the time they had been gone and reports coming back to him about the falling away, the repentance and turning back, and the status of the ruin of Jerusalem. He had to have had thoughts of thankfulness, hope, despair, and worry. Think about it. He had the heavy burden given to Him by God and he had seen the hand of God soften the heart of the king to allow them to return to Jerusalem only to have the people live in ways apart from God.

After he had been there 3 days, he went out at night to look over and observe the walls Jerusalem. That next morning he told the people, officials, leaders, and priests “let us build the wall of Jerusalem, that we may no longer suffer derision.” Nehemiah told them how the Hand of God had led his heart and what the King had said in response. The people listened and were encouraged and strengthened to consider and begin the work before them. Then comes the jeers and mocking and threats and rebukes of those foreigners living near them.

When we have been led by the hand of God to do “a great work” and have seen His hand paving the way we have to be aware of the opposition and trials that may still be ahead. Remember when God led Moses to speak to the Pharaoh, “let my people go” and sent signs and wonders 8 times to show the Israelites His power and leading, and to show Pharaoh the power of God. When Pharaoh had finally consented and let the people go there had to have been joy and encouragement in the hearts and minds of the Israelites. They had witnessed the power and leading of God. Then what happens? Pharaoh changes his mind and sends out his army with instruction to kill all of the Israelites. Then when they are faced with the Red Sea before them and the Egyptian army approaching from behind them did they call on God and rely on the same power and might of His leading, no they did not. God showed them once again His power and leading by parting the Red Sea and destroying the Egyptian army. God did not stop there He showed them power and leading by providing water and food and proved over and over again His presence and leading by displaying Himself to them as a cloud by day and fire by night. What did the people do? They rejected His leading and wonder in the wilderness for 40 years until that disbelieving generation was no more.

We see something different in Nehemiah, don’t we? We see a burdened, believing, and trusting heart willing to be led, strengthened and encouraged by what God has done and commissioned them to do. We see commitment and determination in the face of what seems overwhelming. We see a willingness to be led. We see the courage to face the tasks and opposition.

Saying close to God does not mean we will not see opposition, trials, and troubles but it does allow us to rely on, trust in, and cling to Him and see His mighty hand at work. Stand firm. Remain firm. Keep your eyes on Him and those trials and troubles will fade away as His purpose and plans are carried out in ways that only He can do.

3.x. I have had the help that comes from God

Nehemiah 2:1 In the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was before him, I took up the wine and gave it to the king. Now I had not been sad in his presence. And the king said to me, “Why is your face sad, seeing you are not sick? This is nothing but sadness of the heart.” Then I was very much afraid. I said to the king, “Let the king live forever! Why should not my face be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers’ graves, lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?” Then the king said to me, “What are you requesting?” So I prayed to the God of heaven. And I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, that you send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers’ graves, that I may rebuild it.” And the king said to me (the queen sitting beside him), “How long will you be gone, and when will you return?” So it pleased the king to send me when I had given him a time. And I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, let letters be given me to the governors of the province Beyond the River, that they may let me pass through until I come to Judah, and a letter to Asaph, the keeper of the king’s forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the fortress of the temple, and for the wall of the city, and for the house that I shall occupy.” And the king granted me what I asked, for the good hand of my God was upon me.

Proverbs 21:1    The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the LORD; he turns it wherever he will.

Isaiah 66:14   You shall see, and your heart shall rejoice; your bones shall flourish like the grass; and the hand of the LORD shall be known to his servants, and he shall show his indignation against his enemies.

Daniel 1:9    And God gave Daniel favor and compassion in the sight of the chief of the eunuchs,

Acts 7:10    and rescued him out of all his afflictions and gave him favor and wisdom before Pharaoh, king of Egypt, who made him ruler over Egypt and over all his household.

Acts 26:22  To this day I have had the help that comes from God

Never underestimate the power of God. God is able to do more than we ask and much more than we can imagine. When God moves on our heart and places a big burden He will also provide a way for He is able to do it. God is able to do the “Big Asks” that we have prayed and believed in Him, and trusted in Him to accomplish. We have many examples given to us in His word. He created from nothingness and void all material, physical, and living things. He did this by just speaking it into existence. He parted the Red Sea. He stopped the Jorden river from flowing. He brought dead back to life. He destroyed powerful armies. He made water come out of a rock. He empowered the weak to overcome giants. He is awesome and all-powerful.

Do not be timid to take your “Big Asks” to Him in faith for He alone is our hope, shelter, refuge, strength, power, and courage. In Him, we can watch the impossible be accomplished. In Him, we can be refreshed. In Him, we can rest our hope. In Him, we can have our fears turned to joy. In Him all things are possible. Never underestimate what God can and will do for and through you.

Commit your whole heart, mind, soul, and strength to Him. Stay in His word. Be a humble servant willing to be led and directed by Him.

3.w. Let your ear be attentive and your eyes open, to hear the prayer of your servant

Nehemiah 1:4 As soon as I heard these words I sat down and wept and mourned for days, and I continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven. And I said, “O Lord God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, let your ear be attentive and your eyes open, to hear the prayer of your servant that I now pray before you day and night for the people of Israel your servants, confessing the sins of the people of Israel, which we have sinned against you. Even I and my father’s house have sinned. We have acted very corruptly against you and have not kept the commandments, the statutes, and the rules that you commanded your servant Moses. Remember the word that you commanded your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the peoples, but if you return to me and keep my commandments and do them, though your outcasts are in the uttermost parts of heaven, from there I will gather them and bring them to the place that I have chosen, to make my name dwell there.’ They are your servants and your people, whom you have redeemed by your great power and by your strong hand. O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant, and to the prayer of your servants who delight to fear your name, and give success to your servant today, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.” Now I was cupbearer to the king.

Leviticus 26:33     And I will scatter you among the nations, and I will unsheathe the sword after you, and your land shall be a desolation, and your cities shall be a waste.

Deuteronomy 4:27    And the LORD will scatter you among the peoples, and you will be left few in number among the nations where the LORD will drive you.

Deuteronomy 32:28     “For they are a nation void of counsel, and there is no understanding in them.

1 Kings 9:6-7    But if you turn aside from following me, you or your children, and do not keep my commandments and my statutes that I have set before you, but go and serve other gods and worship them,  then I will cut off Israel from the land that I have given them, and the house that I have consecrated for my name I will cast out of my sight, and Israel will become a proverb and a byword among all peoples.

Ezra was a priest. He was sent to Jerusalem by Nehemiah to start rebuilding the temple and leading the people in commitment to God. Nehemiah’s prayer. This was a very big ask by Nehemiah. He knew they had fallen away from God and this was the reason they were in exile. He also knew from God’s word that unfaithfulness is punished and returning to God is rewarded by the awesome power and steadfast love of God. He prayed confession, praise, and faith. He prayed believing in God’s word. He prayed for success in what seemed impossible.

When our heart is heavy and our burdens overwhelming we don’t have to wait and be overcome with doubt, fear, worry, and restlessness. we can take it straight to the feet our redeemer Jesus Christ. We can know and believe that He is able to do more than we ask and much more than we can imagine. Why do we not ask? Why do we not ask? Why do we wallow in our doubt? Could it be that we think we are not good enough or have not done enough? These thoughts of being and doing are lies from Satan. He wants you to believe that the only way to receive God’s grace and love is to be better, do better, live better and with this lie filling your heart deny the power that is through Jesus Christ who willingly died for the person we were. He did this for the lost sinner. He did this out of His love. He did this to show His love for us. While we were yet sinners He did this. In faith, we come to Him. In faith we can rely on Him. In faith, He is honored and glorified. In faith we are made right with Him, not by being good. We are made good through faith in Him alone and not by what we do.

Come to Him as you are, in faith, confessing, praising, and trusting in Him alone for the trials, worries, and burdens that are seemingly impossible to overcome.

3.v. But even now there is hope

Ezra 10:1 While Ezra prayed and made confession, weeping and casting himself down before the house of God, a very great assembly of men, women, and children, gathered to him out of Israel, for the people wept bitterly. And Shecaniah the son of Jehiel, of the sons of Elam, addressed Ezra: “We have broken faith with our God and have married foreign women from the peoples of the land, but even now there is hope for Israel in spite of this. Therefore let us make a covenant with our God to put away all these wives and their children, according to the counsel of my lord and of those who tremble at the commandment of our God, and let it be done according to the Law. Arise, for it is your task, and we are with you; be strong and do it.” Then Ezra arose and made the leading priests and Levites and all Israel take an oath that they would do as had been said. So they took the oath.

Then Ezra withdrew from before the house of God and went to the chamber of Jehohanan the son of Eliashib, where he spent the night, neither eating bread nor drinking water, for he was mourning over the faithlessness of the exiles. And a proclamation was made throughout Judah and Jerusalem to all the returned exiles that they should assemble at Jerusalem, and that if anyone did not come within three days, by order of the officials and the elders all his property should be forfeited, and he himself banned from the congregation of the exiles.

Then all the men of Judah and Benjamin assembled at Jerusalem within the three days. It was the ninth month, on the twentieth day of the month. And all the people sat in the open square before the house of God, trembling because of this matter and because of the heavy rain. And Ezra the priest stood up and said to them, “You have broken faith and married foreign women, and so increased the guilt of Israel. Now then make confession to the Lord, the God of your fathers and do his will. Separate yourselves from the peoples of the land and from the foreign wives.” Then all the assembly answered with a loud voice, “It is so; we must do as you have said. But the people are many, and it is a time of heavy rain; we cannot stand in the open. Nor is this a task for one day or for two, for we have greatly transgressed in this matter. Let our officials stand for the whole assembly. Let all in our cities who have taken foreign wives come at appointed times, and with them the elders and judges of every city, until the fierce wrath of our God over this matter is turned away from us.” Only Jonathan the son of Asahel and Jahzeiah the son of Tikvah opposed this, and Meshullam and Shabbethai the Levite supported them.

Then the returned exiles did so. Ezra the priest selected men, heads of fathers’ houses, according to their fathers’ houses, each of them designated by name. On the first day of the tenth month they sat down to examine the matter; and by the first day of the first month they had come to the end of all the men who had married foreign women.

In Chapter 9 Ezra became aware of the sin and now, in chapter 10 he confronts it head-on with the people. People wept bitterly when Ezra spoke of the sin. Ezra called out the sin, the people were convicted, and he spoke of making it right. “We have broken faith with God but even now there is hope for us”. This sin problem was not just with common folks but with the leaders who were in Jerusalem. With hearts raw from Holy Spirit conviction and given hope the leaders called for a meeting of all the people within three days. This was a mandatory meeting for all. Note, if anyone did not show up they would forfeit their land and be banned. People came and sat in the square trembling because of this and it was raining. No rain delay, no rain check for another day. It was rain or shine open-air mandatory meeting. The sin issue was so big and personally complicated that, not to mention the rain, that a decision was made to meet with each city official 10 days later to fully assess the magnitude and take note of all who had taken the foreign woman as wives. Within two months they had reported that all the men who had married foreign women had taken care and followed through on their commitment to God.

Sin has a way to slide into our culture because we allow it. It comes in with one person defending that it is right and ok to do and then more and more people just buy into it. Sin feeds our self-centered interests and seems right in our own eyes. Do you ever wonder how this happens? Intentional commitment to God is not made. Whole heart, mind, and soul and strength are given to self and that what pleases self. Humbly serving, honoring, following, glorifying, trusting, and obeying God is nothing more than lip service as a result of neglecting God’s word. These all happen when we become complacent and turn our back and close our eyes and ears to God. It happens when things of this world are put in front of serving God with our whole heart, mind, soul, and strength. We do well to take inventory of where our heart, mind, and thoughts are spending their time. Be mindful of the pull this world has to try to draw you away from serving whole heartily committed to God. We do well to make a covenant with our heart, mind, and soul to humbly serve, honor, trust, and obey God and to make serving Him the reason and purpose of every day.

3.u. I am ashamed and blush to lift my face to you, my God.

Ezra 9:1 After these things had been done, the officials approached me and said, “The people of Israel and the priests and the Levites have not separated themselves from the peoples of the lands with their abominations, from the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites. For they have taken some of their daughters to be wives for themselves and for their sons, so that the holy race has mixed itself with the peoples of the lands. And in this faithlessness the hand of the officials and chief men has been foremost.” As soon as I heard this, I tore my garment and my cloak and pulled hair from my head and beard and sat appalled. Then all who trembled at the words of the God of Israel, because of the faithlessness of the returned exiles, gathered around me while I sat appalled until the evening sacrifice. And at the evening sacrifice I rose from my fasting, with my garment and my cloak torn, and fell upon my knees and spread out my hands to the Lord my God, saying:

“O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift my face to you, my God, for our iniquities have risen higher than our heads, and our guilt has mounted up to the heavens. From the days of our fathers to this day we have been in great guilt. And for our iniquities we, our kings, and our priests have been given into the hand of the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captivity, to plundering, and to utter shame, as it is today. But now for a brief moment favor has been shown by the Lord our God, to leave us a remnant and to give us a secure hold within his holy place, that our God may brighten our eyes and grant us a little reviving in our slavery. For we are slaves. Yet our God has not forsaken us in our slavery, but has extended to us his steadfast love before the kings of Persia, to grant us some reviving to set up the house of our God, to repair its ruins, and to give us protection in Judea and Jerusalem.

“And now, O our God, what shall we say after this? For we have forsaken your commandments, which you commanded by your servants the prophets, saying, ‘The land that you are entering, to take possession of it, is a land impure with the impurity of the peoples of the lands, with their abominations that have filled it from end to end with their uncleanness. Therefore do not give your daughters to their sons, neither take their daughters for your sons, and never seek their peace or prosperity, that you may be strong and eat the good of the land and leave it for an inheritance to your children forever.’ And after all that has come upon us for our evil deeds and for our great guilt, seeing that you, our God, have punished us less than our iniquities deserved and have given us such a remnant as this, shall we break your commandments again and intermarry with the peoples who practice these abominations? Would you not be angry with us until you consumed us, so that there should be no remnant, nor any to escape? O Lord, the God of Israel, you are just, for we are left a remnant that has escaped, as it is today. Behold, we are before you in our guilt, for none can stand before you because of this.”

These passages just punch you deep into your heart. Ezra sees what has happened to that which should have been a great new beginning and ended up in being a great embarrassment. Think about this from what Ezra knew. He saw the hand of God change the heart of the King of the nation that had subdued them and kept them prisoners for over 70 years. The Babylonians destroyed the temple in Jerusalem and made many salves. After 70 years God changed the heart of King Cyrus and he gave permission and support for the Israelites to go back to their home country and rebuild their temple. Ezra is told of a great departing from God by the people. They chose to ignore what God had said about keeping themselves separated from the influence of other nations and not to seek their peace or prosperity. They were faithless and the officials and chief men were the ones who had departed from God’s expectations.

We don’t have to look very deep into our culture to see the erosion and departure from living in a way to honor, glorify, worship, follow, trust, and obey God with our whole heart, mind, soul, and strength. This lukewarm complacent act of obedience we call “being a Christian” is not what is expected of us. We so easily take paths that seem right but are not, because we are void of God’s word in our heart, soul, and mind. These paths promise us satisfaction, peace, prosperity, and purpose but in the end, always leave us still wanting and void of purpose and meaning for our life. There is no replacement for God’s word, though many try to fill in their lives with worldly lies of completeness.

It is one thing to follow blindly after worldly things and another to choose to neglect God’s word. We will be held accountable for our life on this side of eternity. We get to choose what fills our heart, mind, and soul. We get to choose how we live and in this choice, we either serve self or follow, trust and obey God. Make an intentional choice and commitment today.

3.t. To this day I have had the help that comes from God, and so I stand here testifying both to small and great

Ezra 8:24 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. I weighed out into their hand 650 talents of silver, and silver vessels worth 200 talents, and 100 talents of gold, 20 bowls of gold worth 1,000 darics, and two vessels of fine bright bronze as precious as gold. 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. Guard them and keep them until you weigh them before the chief priests and the Levites and the heads of fathers’ houses in Israel at Jerusalem, within the chambers of the house of the Lord.” So the priests and the Levites took over the weight of the silver and the gold and the vessels, to bring them to Jerusalem, to the house of our God.

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. We came to Jerusalem, and there we remained three days. On the fourth day, within the house of our God, the silver and the gold and the vessels were weighed into the hands of Meremoth the priest, son of Uriah, and with him was Eleazar the son of Phinehas, and with them were the Levites, Jozabad the son of Jeshua and Noadiah the son of Binnui. The whole was counted and weighed, and the weight of everything was recorded.

Job 5:19-24    He will deliver you from six troubles; in seven no evil shall touch you.  In famine he will redeem you from death, and in war from the power of the sword.  You shall be hidden from the lash of the tongue, and shall not fear destruction when it comes.  At destruction and famine you shall laugh, and shall not fear the beasts of the earth.  For you shall be in league with the stones of the field, and the beasts of the field shall be at peace with you.  You shall know that your tent is at peace, and you shall inspect your fold and miss nothing.

Acts 26:22   To this day I have had the help that comes from God, and so I stand here testifying both to small and great,

Isaiah 41:10-14    fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.  Behold, all who are incensed against you shall be put to shame and confounded; those who strive against you shall be as nothing and shall perish.  You shall seek those who contend with you, but you shall not find them; those who war against you shall be as nothing at all.  For I, the LORD your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, “Fear not, I am the one who helps you.”  Fear not, you worm Jacob, you men of Israel! I am the one who helps you, declares the LORD; your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel.

Psalms 91:9-14    Because you have made the LORD your dwelling place— the Most High, who is my refuge—  no evil shall be allowed to befall you, no plague come near your tent.  For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.  On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.  You will tread on the lion and the adder; the young lion and the serpent you will trample underfoot.  “Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him; I will protect him, because he knows my name.

Do you ever think about the hand of God being on you? Do you know when you have been delivered from a potential attack of sickness, financial, physical, or relational harm? Do you know it was by the hand of God? How can you know? Being aware of obvious, in your face, confrontation is one thing but how about those times when there are no attacks, physical or emotional, in your life? Do you immediately think about God’s hand being on and over you? Do you realize this at all?

Being aware of God’s hand should be the first thing on our mind but all too often the busyness of life and our lack of commitment result in our thinking that either we are very lucky or that of pride in thinking that in our own great wisdom and knowledge we were able to affect the outcomes in our lives in ways only the hand of God could produce. You see when our time in His word is limited so is our thoughts on it and on Him. When our time in His word is neglected so is our mind’s eye being able to see and reflect on the awesome steadfast love, power, and blessings from God. When our time in His word is more of a burden than living water then our eyes become blind to see the hand of God at work in our lives.

The lukewarm, neglectful, complacent, and self-satisfied will never see the hand of God at work in their lives. They will not know how to humbly serve, honor, glorify, worship, praise, follow, trust, and obey Him. This can only happen when our whole heart, mind, and soul are turned to and committed to and rely on, cling to, and trust in Him. This is not a part-time commitment. It is every day, every moment intentional choice. Make this commitment, be in His word continually and meditate on it and have it open the eyes to your heart and mind to see the awesome steadfast love and mighty hand of God in your life.

3.s. But my righteous one shall live by faith, and if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him.

Ezra 8:21 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.

2 Chronicles 16:9    For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him

Psalms 33:18-19   Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his steadfast love,  that he may deliver their soul from death and keep them alive in famine.

1 Peter 3:12    For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer.

Zephaniah 1:6    those who have turned back from following the LORD, who do not seek the LORD or inquire of him.”

Hebrews 10:38    but my righteous one shall live by faith, and if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him.”

Faith in action. It takes a very close humble walk with God to have this kind of faith, where you are ashamed to ask for protection from the king, who is more than willing and able to supply the protection, because in your heart you know God is more protection, more powerful, more awesome, and no one can defeat what He has put into motion. I am reminded once again of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego when they told the king that our God is able to protect us from your threat, but even if He does not we will not bow down and worship your image. Ezra is saying about the same thing when he purposed not seek the king’s help and protect but chose faith in God. He was ashamed to have even thought the thought of asking the King.

If we were true to ourselves and asked how many times do we seek help outside of seeking and trusting God, what would that number be? Trusting in Jesus Christ for salvation is a little easier as there is no other savior who can save us. However, when we come down to living out our daily lives and see we can get help outside of asking Jesus we easily turn toward a non-faith, non-Jesus, solution. Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen. Our faith will only mature as we grow closer to Jesus. Our closer walk with Jesus will only mature when we spend time in His word. Time in His word will only mature when we intentionally/daily commit with our whole heart, mind, and soul to humble service, honoring, glorifying, worshiping, following, trusting, and obeying Him. Our maturity will then happen line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little, and there a little. When we see Jesus Christ as our all in all for every moment of every day we will begin to grow and mature in our faith.

3.r. Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.

Ezra 8:15 I gathered them to the river that runs to Ahava, and there we camped three days. As I reviewed the people and the priests, I found there none of the sons of Levi. Then I sent for Eliezer, Ariel, Shemaiah, Elnathan, Jarib, Elnathan, Nathan, Zechariah, and Meshullam, leading men, and for Joiarib and Elnathan, who were men of insight, and sent them to Iddo, the leading man at the place Casiphia, telling them what to say to Iddo and his brothers and the temple servants at the place Casiphia, namely, to send us ministers for the house of our God. And by the good hand of our God on us, they brought us a man of discretion, of the sons of Mahli the son of Levi, son of Israel, namely Sherebiah with his sons and kinsmen, 18; also Hashabiah, and with him Jeshaiah of the sons of Merari, with his kinsmen and their sons, 20; besides 220 of the temple servants, whom David and his officials had set apart to attend the Levites. These were all mentioned by name.

Proverbs 2:6     For the LORD gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding;

Proverbs 20:5    The purpose in a man’s heart is like deep water, but a man of understanding will draw it out.

Daniel 2:21    He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings; he gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding;

2 Timothy 2:7    Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.

“Who were men of insight”. There are times I seem to have an understanding and other times it seems like there is nothing but air between my ears. Something changed in our world over the last 25 years. “Google it.” For most of this culture, the thought of going to the library and looking something up has never been a thought. This culture has what seems to be the worlds biggest library right in the palm of their hand. We can speak into our smartphone and in less than 2 seconds have a response to our inquiry. We weed through these results and scan them for information that seems to meet our expectation. The problem with the ease of this is that the search is so easy that we do not have the want to retain knowledge, understanding, and wisdom. Everything seems to go into short term memory because anytime I need to know something I can do a search and have the information that seems right within the time it would take me to grab my keys to go to the library. I don’t need to do all of the research that once upon a time was required. I can just read up on all of that from others and for the most part, never have to form my own thoughts. Herein is the problem; When this approach is taken toward the Word of God.

We don’t have to “Know” God’s word as intended but rather can just look up keywords and have His promises pop up in front of our eyes. We latch onto these for the cure of our heart, mind, and soul. We can look up; afraid, lonely, greed, pride, grace, forgiveness, love, joy, peace, refuge, power, strength, security, hope, faith, to mention a few. We find a verse or a few verses that we can claim and it eases our mind. What gets lost in this type of “one and done” lookup is the presence of God in our lives. What gets lost is a continual growth and maturity that comes from seeking and desiring to know and understand God through intentionally spending time in His word, meditating on it, and allowing Holy Spirit to transform our thoughts through diligent study. Don’t get me wrong. There are times to use “lookup searches.” While we are spending time in study is a good time to gain understanding through seeing more examples of the verse that strikes a raw nerve in our heart.

We must guard our heart and mind from being tempted from the neglect of “the Wholeness” of God’s Word. We must spend time in it with a longing to know God deeper and how to humbly serve, honor, follow, trust, and obey Him if we want to become “men of insight” who rightly divide the “Word of Truth”.

3.q. For God has put it into their hearts to carry out his purpose by being of one mind

Ezra 7:27 Blessed be the Lord, the God of our fathers, who put such a thing as this into the heart of the king, to beautify the house of the Lord that is in Jerusalem, and who extended to me his steadfast love before the king and his counselors, and before all the king’s mighty officers. I took courage, for the hand of the Lord my God was on me, and I gathered leading men from Israel to go up with me.

Nehemiah 2:12     Then I arose in the night, I and a few men with me. And I told no one what my God had put into my heart to do for Jerusalem.

Nehemiah 7:5    Then my God put it into my heart to assemble the nobles and the officials and the people to be enrolled by genealogy.

2 Corinthians 8:16   But thanks be to God, who put into the heart of Titus the same earnest care I have for you.

Hebrews 8:10     For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws into their minds, and write them on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

James 1:17     Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.

Hebrews 10:16 “This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws on their hearts, and write them on their minds,”

Revelation 17:17    for God has put it into their hearts to carry out his purpose by being of one mind

Have you ever reflected back on something that you have been compelled to do and know without a doubt that it was from God stirring in your heart to do it? When we are seeking and desiring God with all our heart, mind, and soul is when I think we see the hand of God working and directing us. Do you ever wonder about those who God uses who are apart from Him and they have to wonder why they are spurred to think and do something?

It is so powerful and encouraging to know it is God leading us. We don’t have to have any worries or anxious thoughts. We just need to obey continue with what He has given us to do. I wonder if we are able to discern and know it is of His leading if we are lukewarm and complacent in our commitment and service to Him. I wonder how our faith grows when we do not have an ability to see and hear His leading in our life. I wonder how we mature into leaders, teachers, and parents if we are not intentionally choosing to seek and desire Him. I wonder what is leading our thought life. I wonder what is leading our decisions and actions. Certainly if it is not God’s word it comes from the world and culture we live in. I wonder if we are believing lies of this world and thinking they are the truth.

Choose to stay fully committed and close to Him. Study His word and be an active tool for His plans and purposes.