Living In God's Favor

He had arranged to leave Babylon on April 8, the first day of the new year, and he arrived at Jerusalem on August 4, for the gracious hand of his God was on him. This was because Ezra had determined to study and obey the Law of the LORD and to teach those decrees and regulations to the people of Israel. Ezra 7:9b-10 (NLT)

There is no doubt the sovereign Lord rules and reigns in spite of what we do. What does amaze me is that the Almighty God, the Creator of the universe chooses to graciously bless and place His favor on us. What are people that you should think about them, mere mortals that you should care for them? Yet you made them only a little lower than God and crowned them with glory and honor. You gave them charge of everything you made, putting all things under their authority—Psalms 8:4-6 (NLT)

When God’s hand is on you, not only is He guiding your path but also all of creation is equally moving on your behalf. It is what it means to walk in the Spirit, in the abundant life that Jesus promises. Remember in Exodus when the plague of darkness hit, all of Egypt was in a total blackout, but the Israelites in Goshen were in the light, Egypt was cursed while Israel was under the hand or blessing of God.  It is like having the best day of your life, when all seems to go your way and then multiply that by a zillion.   This is the favor or the gracious hand of God that Ezra experienced when he went back to Babylon.

The key to Ezra’s favor of God was both a sovereign act (God in complete control making things happen for His glory) and Ezra’s desire to commune with the Lord, to know His word, obey it and teach others about the riches of God’s glory. In other words…it was all about glorifying the Lord on His terms and spreading that revelation of His awesome wonder to the people that God loves. Would God have blessed Ezra on his trip back to Babylon if he chose not to set his heart on God and His word? Most likely, but not the extent that he had walking in obedience. If he instead attempted to go on his own strength or simply for his own benefit he would not have experienced the richness of God’s favor upon his life. The Lord’s mercies, His blessings, His doings are new every morning, (Great is His faithfulness!).  The challenge for us is to determine in our hearts and minds to know the Lord through His word and the experiential circumstances that He provide us to walk in obedience.  It is the discipline of the study of God through His word that prepares and launches us into a different realm of revelation and spiritual execution. So there is an intentional pursuing of God, a flint like focus on Him best manifested though His word and then living that reveled word in the utmost of obedience.

As with the prophet Ezra it is also for us who follow Jesus.  Where mental assent isn’t enough, where studying the scriptures isn’t enough for the Lord’s blessing but teaching or imparting that holy word to others is where the word becomes alive and transforming. It is in community that Ezra directed his passion; it is in the midst of God’s people where you will find the word of God living and moving powerfully and where spiritual life for us is executed and providing the vehicle that moves the gracious hand of God on our behalf.  

Thoughts to Chew on:

·       Where is your heart focused? What have you determined to do for God? Is it for His glory or yours?

·       When was the last time you strongly felt the mighty hand of God’s favor upon your life? What was the situation and what was your part in this process? What caused it to weaken or stop?

·       How are your times in the word? Powerful, stagnant, sporadic, non-existent, a nice thought? What will it take for you to get back on track?

·       What are you doing with what God has given you? Are you satisfied with breadcrumbs (yesterdays biblical manna) or are do you enjoy eating from His banqueting table (The fresh manna for today)?

·       Who are you teaching His word and His ways to? The more you eat without exercise the fatter you will get. The more you eat spiritually without excising or giving it to others you get spiritually fat, sluggish and Pharisaic.