Walking the Talk

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. 22 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.” 23 So we fasted and implored our God for this, and he listened to our entreaty.

This is a great instance of “walking the talk”. Ezra had told the Persian king of the power of God to save those who seek Him and to judge His enemies. The king granted Ezra’s request to go and restore temple worship in Jerusalem. For Ezra to ask for military protection was to demonstrate a lack of trust in the God he claimed to serve. To the casual observer, Ezra’s actions may seem foolish. Wasn’t this “testing” God? Yet Ezra did not presume upon God’s protective mercy, he proclaimed a fast and the people humbled themselves in petition before the Lord, seeking His protection.

While we who are in Christ are able to articulate the power of God and His protective mercies, how often do we go to him first, humbling ourselves in prayer and fasting before Him? There is much head knowledge we have that can yield to a “practical atheism” as we place our trust in things other than the one who has control over everything. I like to be in control of my life...yet ultimately God calls us to yield our lives fully to him. He will often bring situations into our lives that teach us to yield control to Him placing our trust in His care. There is a balance here between wanting to be in control of everything and presumption. There are those who can take “living by faith” to extremes. The proper balance is found by seeking the wisdom of the Lord. The key is to become humble before the Lord, seeking His way, and setting our hearts toward his purposes.