Title: God's Hand
Content: God's Hand
Text Ezra 8:21-23
Our life is like a journey, we travel the long road of life from birth to death.
However, this life's journey depends on who takes the steering wheel, and when I take the steering wheel of my life's journey, I am insecure, unable to find my way properly, and face many crises.
However, it will be different when God Himself takes the steering wheel of our life journey. Peaceful.
He finds the exact way we are going, and there is no anxiety along the way, and there is a sense of stability and trust.
So we must entrust our lives to God. You have to rely completely on his hand.
Today's text introduces the story of a man who completely depended on God's hand.
This is a man named Ezra, and let's see how he trusted the hand of God.
I hoped for God's hand.
Ezra wrote the phrase "the hand of God."
This word was used to illustrate God's help to Israel in his providence through a parable.
Ezra realized that until now God's hand had helped Israel.
And I was hoping in faith that God's hand would help me now and in the future.
The people of Israel disobeyed God's word. God has sent prophets several times to warn us. But they didn't listen. Therefore, they were subject to the severe judgment of God.
They were taken captive to Babylon.
But God did not leave them alone. God saved them in God's way. In 1:1, Ezra said, "In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, the Lord moved the heart of Cyrus king of Persia to fulfill the word that was spoken through the mouth of Jeremiah." It is emphasizing that it is God who made it possible to build. In other words, the invisible hand of God was at work in providence.
God's hand moved Cyrus' heart to free Israel from captivity, and to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem.
As Ezra looked at all these circumstances, there was something that could not be denied.
That is, God worked. God touched the heart of the king.
So I gladly allowed him to return.
They did not spare any financial support. And they supported me so I didn't have any trouble on the way back.
Ezra wrote a very interesting expression.
7:9 says, “They departed from Babylon on the first day of the first month, and with the help of the good hand of God they came to Jerusalem on the first day of the fifth month”.
That's right. Ezra is now feeling strongly that God's hand is at work with power.
It is a terrifying experience to see that God Himself takes the wheel of history and leads it with His mighty hand. That's why we're desperately hoping for that God's hand.
In the midst of nightmares and nightmares, I had a vision. You are on a very rough road.
I was so tired and exhausted that I stopped falling on my right side.
Then suddenly a big hand appeared and lifted him up.
After walking for a while, I was about to fall to the left, and a large hand appeared again and lifted me up.
Again, I was walking with all my might, and this time I was about to fall forward, so then two hands appeared and lifted me up.
That's right. Our life path is not ours alone.
The mighty hand of God is holding us. raises us up again. You have to realize this.
So we must look to God's hand in hope.
Relying on God's Hand
Ezra deeply realized the help of God's hand. And now you are completely relying on that hand.
They depended only on the hand of God.
First, in verse 22, it is written: “For we have said to the king, ‘The hand of our God is good to all who seek him, and he brings power and wrath to all who betray him. Because he was ashamed to ask of him." Ezra would not ask King Artaxerxes to send soldiers to guard him.
Now King Artaxerxes is determined to help Ezra.
It's a state where you can take anyone you want with you. We are ready to give you anything we need.
We are no longer in a situation where we will refuse to send soldiers to protect the safety and security of our party.
Rather, they are sending a lot of people and sending a lot of money together, so they are actively trying to protect them.
But Ezra did not ask him to do so.
The reason is important. In a word, because of shame. Ezra had proclaimed to the Godless king that the hand of God is a doer of good to those who seek him.
That is, he was boldly preaching the gospel. Under such circumstances, they could not ask the king to protect them on their journey, or to send soldiers to protect them.
What would the king think if Ezra had asked the king to send troops to protect them? Perhaps it was hypocritical because Ezra's confession that he believed in the mighty hand of God was different from the act of asking for help.
Not only that, but you could have thought that God was incapable of protecting your people as they traveled a long way to worship you.
Ezra felt it would be a real shame if the king thought so.
That's right. We should be able to feel spiritual shame.
What would it be like to say that you believe in God and rely on people's help?
Could that be the right belief?
Until God works, we must learn to wait until we go hungry, and if we perish, we will perish.
We must believe that the mighty hand of God will protect us and work on us, and we must be able to completely depend on God alone.
Some people say that they have good faith and say that God has placed people around them who can ask for help. So, I try to use the relationships I have with you to the best of my ability to get help.
And some argue that this is the special grace that God has bestowed upon them.
In 1 Kings 17, Elijah faced the danger of dying from a drought.
Then God told Elijah to go to the brook Cherit. Elijah obeyed.
You could drink water there. Surprisingly, the crows carried food in the morning and evening.
Also, God told him to go to Zarephath in the land of Sidon this time. Elijah obeyed.
There he met a widow and was able to solve the problem of eating and drinking.
The important thing here is that Elijah did not go to the brook Cherit.
They did not go to Zarephath in the land of Sidon.
God is reaching out to help in unexpected ways and at unexpected times.
In this case, we are saying that God has given that person to me.
He never went out to find people, and he did not create an environment for himself.
You should not do things on your own will, make your own plans, do things yourself, and say, "God appointed him, God made him this way."
This does not depend on God.
Words say that you believe in God, and in the end, you are relying on people.
We must go forward completely relying on God alone. We will have to wait patiently.
Do not act hastily.
I took hold of God's hand.
In verse 21, it says: “At that time I proclaimed a fast by the river Ahava, and humbled myself before our God, asking him for a smooth way for us and for our little ones and for all that we have.” that is being introduced. In a word, it is immersed in prayer.
In other words, holding on to God's hand.
First of all, I fasted. Why would you fast? It is to show earnestness before God.
Next, I humbled myself before God. It is to show absolute faith.
And I told you the details of the prayer.
It is asking God to lead the way to Jerusalem by the hand of God.
That's right. When we are faced with a certain problem, we really need to pray without asking.
You really need to risk everything and immerse yourself in prayer.
Because you will be completely dependent on the hand of God.
Today's text 23 says this.
"Therefore, we fasted and prayed to our God for this, and he was granted." It means that when we took hold of God's hand in thorough prayer, we received God's answer.
Our problem today is that we do not hold onto God's hand. It's easy to get hold of and then let go.
Dear all! Really immerse yourself in prayer. You will take hold of His mighty hand. You will be able to experience the power of the hand of God.