“I was ashamed to require of the king a band of soldiers and horsemen to help us against the enemy in the way: because we had spoken unto the king, saying, The hand of our God is upon all them for good that seek him; but his power and his wrath is against all them that forsake him. So we fasted and besought our God for this: and he was intreated of us.” (Ezra 8:22-23 KJV)
Ezra was convinced of the gracious protection of God. He was absolutely confident that God’s people are safe under the shadow of God’s wings, even in their greatest dangers. Ezra had confidently confessed this belief to Artaxerxes, King of Babylon.
Having expressed such faith and confidence in his God, Ezra “was ashamed” to ask the king for a convoy of soldiers as protection “against the enemy on the way to Israel.” He was afraid that such a request would cause the King and his court to doubt God’s power and Ezra’s confidence in God’s power.
Our American motto is: In God We Trust. And despite the agnostics and skeptics, it is that commitment which has sustained our great nation against our enemies, both foreign and domestic. We who trust in God and triumph in him are confident of his power and our safety in the shadow of death of every valley.
So Ezra and company fasted and prayed to God about how to approach the King with this request. Think about this: fasting and praying for God to enable them with a request, for a company of soldiers, that would not convey a contradictory lack of faith and confidence in God’s power and protection.
Oh, that America would so trust in God that we would be ashamed to seek coalitions and alliances because such actions might convey to both our partners and our enemies a lack of confidence in God’s power to triumph. Yet, we must not forget that while God expects our faith and confidence, He also expects us to be wise as serpents and prepare for our own preservation. We should never be ashamed of wise preparations. And when the honor of God is at stake, our fasting and praying should be for direction on how to proceed. The One in whom we trust will always answer our prayers!
From time to time, God’s people may be ashamed of the physical necessity for a military presence, but we should never be ashamed of the men and women who accompany us in the valley of the shadow and “help us against the enemy in the way.”
Dear Father, thank you for your protections. Bless all our veterans and current military personnel in our American armed forces. Bless their respective families. And enable us to present a united trust in your power that our enemies will never mistake for doubt. This I pray in the name of Jesus. AMEN
Be encouraged today by trusting God,