“I was ashamed to ask the king for soldiers and horsemen to protect us from enemies on the road, because we had told the king, ‘The gracious hand of our God is on everyone who looks to him, but his great anger is against all who forsake him.’ So we fasted and petitioned our God about this, and he answered our prayer. On the twelfth day of the first month we set out from the Ahava Canal to go to Jerusalem. The hand of our God was on us, and he protected us from enemies and bandits along the way.” (Ezra 8:22-23; 31, NIV)
As disciples of Jesus and children of the Most High God, do we “walk the talk”?
Today’s scripture text is a vivid reminder that the life of faith is a life of risk.
By risk, I do not mean the kind of behavior where we put God to the test, as the devil tempted Jesus to test God during our Lord’s 40 days in the wilderness. (Please click here for the biblical text.) The disciple’s profession of faith in God is tested for its authenticity in a multitude of practical ways. We should never test God; and we should never shirk opportunities for a front-row seat to see God’s acts measure-up to God’s promises.
Had the king offered Ezra an armed escort before Ezra had testified to his God’s faithfulness, it would have been reasonable for him to accept the king’s escort as Providence. Yet, if we testify to God’s provision when we’re flush with cash or the picture of health; will we also stand-by our testimony when we have “more month than money,” or when our bodies are afflicted? – Luther
