09/24/2019
Do we look to men for our help and protection when God has already promised to give it to us, and does this cause us to be embarrassed before God for our lack of faith? How too have we made the Lord appear when we do this; has it made him seem weak because of our distrust in His provision? Our faith should remain strong, and we should be careful to defend the honor of our God.
“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.”
Ezra 8:21-23 ESV
In this story Ezra has been witnessing to the King about the strength and provision of God, and now he had to make a decision... do I show the king that my God is true to His Word, and that He will protect me, or do I ask this king for an armed escort like everyone else? Ezra chose to fast, pray, and then lean on God’s promise. Do we make this choice in our lives, or do we say we trust God only to turn to man at the first sign of trouble?
My grandfather was a poor, but faithful, farmer who scratched out a living from the earth for he and his family. He worked hard to clear his land by removing one tree at a time with a mule, and his bare hands, in order to make fields in which to plant. All my life my mother has told me stories of his hardships, and what it took to survive in those days. She also told me about how he trusted in God, and would not accept from man what he knew God had promised to provide.
“The Lord is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him.”
Psalms 28:7 ESV
There was one story that was particularly poignant, and it occurred during the Great Depression. Those were particularly hard times when money was scarce, and selling enough of your crop to pay for those things you couldn’t grow yourself was nearly impossible. It was a time when people went hungry and without what they needed to survive, and my grandfather’s family was no different. The rain fell on the just and the unjust alike, and in this case the rain was extreme poverty, and it was so bad that the government began handing out food to keep its people from starving. Yet my grandfather trusted that God would make a way for him, and would not take these handouts... so he and his family were approaching starvation.
There was a man of means who lived in the nearby town of Mt. Airy, North Carolina who knew my grandfather; he also knew he would not take the charity being offered, so he rode his horse to visit, and asked if there were any locust trees on the farm. My grandfather said there were, and this man told him that he would pay him in advance if he would cut and stack a certain number of locust fence posts. They agreed on the number, and the price per post, then the man said he would send wagons to retrieve the posts in a few months... but the wagons never came, nor did this man ever intend to send them.
Two things happened in this story, and they both had to do with faith. The first was that my grandfather trusted in God, and continued to... even when it meant his family’s near starvation. He was certainly worried, and concerned but he held fast to his belief as he worked hard to survive. The second was a byproduct of the first... through my grandfather’s pride and confidence in his God, and the difficulty that came from it, the second man was presented with an opportunity, and confronted with a decision to make... he took this opportunity to show his faith through a merciful act...
“For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me,”
Matthew 25:35 ESV
both men were rewarded, and although I don’t know if the wealthy man shared this story with his family, I do know that it has been handed down through the generations in mine.
“One generation shall commend your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts. On the glorious splendor of your majesty, and on your wondrous works, I will meditate.”
Psalms 145:4-5 ESV
We should defend the truth of God’s Word with more than our voices, but with our actions. If God says He will provide for us then act as if you believe that, don’t just give it lip service as you turn away to seek relief elsewhere. And, when Jesus tells us of the virtues of mercy and charitable behavior then do more than just read His words, or pray for God to help the less fortunate, but be merciful in our own actions towards them.
“And the King will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.'”
Matthew 25:40 ESV
So how do we defend the honor of God, and His Word? We display our love for Him in all things, and at all times, and with all our being. We trust and hold firm to His Word in not only the good times, but even during our great hardships and suffering. We also love our neighbors as ourselves, and show our mercy as well as speak it. Our love, faith, trust, obedience, and mercy displayed before the unrighteous speaks of the greatness of God, and shows the transformative power of Christ to those who would have it for themselves.
“What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, be warmed and filled," without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that?”
James 2:14-16 ESV
Prayer:
Father, we thank you for your Holy Word, and the steadfast promises within it that we cling to. We thank you for your faithfulness that sees us through life, and weaves our hardships into your blessings to make everything work together for good. We thank you for showing us your love, mercy, and grace... not just by Word, but in action. You sent your Son Jesus to teach us the meaning of acting upon our faith, and you gave us your grace through His life... not simply by divine edict from heaven. Help us Father to defend your honor, and to be jealous of your good name, by demonstrating your Word to others through our daily behavior. Help us to do those things in our lives that we read about in your Holy Word, and to do them in such a way as to make them a real lifeline to those who are lost. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you our God who acts out your Word in our lives every day. Great are you who provides for our needs, and defends us in times of trouble. Wonderful are you who sends His love, mercy, and grace, to live among us in the body of Jesus Christ. Praised be your name Father because it is alive, and full of motion, and action. You are more than the story of life, but life itself, and we give you all glory for the loving grace that lives now and forevermore through Jesus Christ your Son.
“It is he who remembered us in our low estate, for his steadfast love endures forever; and rescued us from our foes, for his steadfast love endures forever; he who gives food to all flesh, for his steadfast love endures forever. Give thanks to the God of heaven, for his steadfast love endures forever.”
Psalms 136:23-26 ESV
Rich Forbes