Ezra’s Delight
October 7, 2010
This morning the Lord proved faithful in the discipleship of His people. This morning the Lord spoke to me a fresh and challenging word.
The day proved to be plentiful even in the first few hours of its existence. I took my time this morning, brewed up some coffee, made some oatmeal with Agave honey. Details are menial, nonetheless I grabbed my Bible, Fred Hammond signing throughout my house via my iphone and began to do my daily devotional, also known as S.O.A.P. Today’s read through was Ezra 7-8 and Luke 20.
As I began to read through Ezra 7, Ezra was described as a skilled scribe coming out of Babylon. The letter that King Artaxerxes wrote him was detailed regarding appropriations for tithes, offering, and worship to the Lord, whom Ezra worshiped. The king offered his own treasury resources to fund offerings, and the needs of the house of the Lord. Artaxerxes not only trusted Ezra to be a priestly man in his stewardship, he also publicly placed obedience to God’s and His house through this decree to Ezra.
Ezra in verses 7:27-28 delighted not only in the things written by the king, but more so he was moved that God spoke to the heart of his king. These two verses compelled me to check my own heart, and prayer life and recount how many times I have ever prayed for our national leaders both foreign and domestic. Or if I have been more concerned with a political position instead of their relationship with the Lord.
27 Blessed be the Lord God of our fathers, who has put such a thing as this in the king’s heart, to beautify the house of the Lord which is in Jerusalem, 28 and has extended mercy to me before the king and his counselors, and before all the king’s mighty princes. So I was encouraged, as the hand of the Lord my God wasupon me; and I gathered leading men of Israel to go up with me.
In a country that is blessed to be free, the United States, we often feel entitled to opinion, and place value in being right. The challenge that I extracted from the passage today was that, rather than be focused on my formed opinions, I need to be focused on contending for the souls of our nation’s leaders and the voice of the Lord that does speak to them individually. We can refute opinion and position, but as shown by king Artaxerxes, the voice of the Lord is compelling regardless of position.
Focus on justification will shape only you. Contending for the voice of God in the lives of all will be a catalyst for change.
Delight in our God who speaks.
Pray for President Obama.
