Credibility

"For I was ashamed to request of the king an escort of soldiers and horsemen to help us against the enemy on the road, because we had spoken to the king, saying, The hand of our God is upon all those for good who seek Him, but His power and His wrath are against all those who forsake Him. So we fasted and entreated our God for this, and He answered our prayer"  Ezra 8:22-23.

The delicacy here to maintain the Lord's reputation of strength and power is admirable to me. He's meticulous to think through perceptions and believes going to the king of Persia to say they need backup would damage God's credibility.

Part of me does wonder whether this was actually necessary though, to withhold asking for help. In a society plagued with individuality and the inability to reach out, I often see God present opportunities for us to humble ourselves and ask for help. He always equips us for His work but rarely equips us alone- we need other people! Was it really necessary for them to be ashamed to ask the king? Couldn't they have explained that God often uses our good planning to accomplish His plan? After alll, I do believe in a world order set by God designed so that we are responsible to use the things He's given us- and if the king's soldiers are at your disposal, shouldn't that fall in the category of being a good steward of God's resources? They were carrying significant funds and materials for the temple rebuild.

But alas, God responds in a powerful way to them: He answered our prayer. So despite my questions about our responsiblity, our first one quite definitely lies in praying to God about everything, particularly the building of His house and kingdom like they are doing here. I too often rely on the practical like preparing armies and organizing and too rarely choose to pray and let God lead. Prayer is not an excuse for lack of preparedness but it's a guide for action. It's the place we should start, and end, and meditate on continuously. It's a place we can quiet our souls, displace the clutter, and ask God to reveal what He's doing and what He'd have us do.

And if we care about maintaining the knowledge of God's power and authority as much as these men, I believe God will answer us too.