Road To Reliance

Jesus wants to be your comfort and strength. He wants to guide your steps and lead you each day. Rely on His power, presence, and promises, and He will guide you to His purposes.

“King Darius then issued an order, and they searched in the archives...Do not interfere with the work on this temple of God. Their expenses are to be fully paid out of the royal treasury, from the revenues of Trans-Euphrates, so that the work will not stop. Whatever is needed—young bulls, rams, male lambs for burnt offerings to the God of heaven...must be given them daily without fail...Let it be carried out with diligence. The temple was completed...Then the people of Israel—celebrated the dedication of the house of God with joy. On the fourteenth day of the first month, the exiles celebrated the Passover. So the Israelites who had returned from the exile ate it, together with all who had separated themselves from the unclean practices of their Gentile neighbors in order to seek the LORD...they celebrated with joy the Festival of Unleavened Bread, because the LORD had filled them with joy by changing the attitude of the king of Assyria so that he assisted them in the work on the house of God" ‭‭Ezra‬ ‭6‬:‭1‬-22

Have you ever had a day where everything just went your way? You hit every green light on the way to work, the sun was shining, all your favorite songs played on the radio, and everywhere you went, you saw goodness. Don't you wish it was like that every day? Imagine life for the people of Judah. They had returned from exile and worked hard to rebuild the temple, only to face opposition. Imagine what their prayers were like. God, help us. God, save us. God, can you just do this thing for us? God, can you stop this person from getting in the way? But did they really expect their prayers to be answered? Do we?

Then they got a letter that said a resounding yes and amen to all their prayers. Not only did King Darius issue the building permits, but he also issued a decree that the royal treasury would pay the expenses and provide for daily offerings. Their jaws must have dropped in disbelief. Probably a lot of smiling and shaking heads went on. What had seemed impossible had just become possible by God's grace.

What can we learn? Maybe our view of God is too small. What would happen if we approached each day believing in and relying on the truth that all things are possible in Christ? What if we continually sought to elevate our view of God and our confidence in what is possible in Christ? Ask God if you currently have any limiting thoughts. Are any of your thoughts lessening, limiting, or lying about what is possible when we rely on the Creator of the heavens and earth?

“My God, whom I praise, do not remain silent, for people who are wicked and deceitful have opened their mouths against me; they have spoken against me with lying tongues. In return for my friendship they accuse me, but I am a man of prayer...out of the goodness of your love, deliver me. For I am poor and needy, and my heart is wounded within me. Help me, LORD my God; save me according to your unfailing love...may your servant rejoice. For he stands at the right hand of the needy, to save their lives from those who would condemn." Psalms‬ ‭109‬:‭1‬-31

What gets in the way of believing boldly? Bad experiences. When we get hurt, experience loss, or suffer, we can often approach life just trying not to hurt anymore. Is there a worse feeling than betrayal? David feels betrayed. He said in return for friendship, he got accusation. Have you ever been there?

David did not allow where others sinned to keep him from the Savior. He turned to and relied on God when he was hurting. God's goodness and faithfulness gave him comfort. It helped him keep going. Often, when we get hurt, we can isolate and avoid future interactions. We can wonder where God is, but truth tells us that God is closer than close. He wants to be our comfort when we need care, but He loves us too much to leave us there. He calls us by name and tells us to come. Follow Him.

We can learn from David. Not only does David choose to rely on God, but he also asks God to lead him to a place of rejoicing. The statement seems out of place. How often do we ask God to lead us to rejoicing when we are reeling from pain? Very rarely, but we should because God never wastes a hurt. God's plans are so much greater than we can imagine. He turns our tragedies into triumphs and pain into purpose. Like the people of Judah, it is only a matter of time until we can see God do the miraculous.

“The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel: for gaining wisdom and instruction; for understanding words of insight; for receiving instruction in prudent behavior, doing what is right and just and fair; let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance— The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction. My son, if sinful men entice you, do not give in to them. Such are the paths of all who go after ill-gotten gain; it takes away the life of those who get it. Out in the open wisdom calls aloud...Repent at my rebuke! Then I will pour out my thoughts to you, I will make known to you my teachings. For the waywardness of the simple will kill them, and the complacency of fools will destroy them; but whoever listens to me will live in safety and be at ease, without fear of harm.” ‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭1‬:‭1‬-‭3‬3

Think of a time you had to read an instruction manual to assemble or appropriately use something new you had purchased. Have you ever ignored the manual only to realize it was important? The Bible is our instruction manual, and it says you should always be learning because you were made to rely on God. This can be hard for us since we are trained from a young age to rely on ourselves, but we were not made to do life on our own. Building a life without the wisdom, knowledge, and insights of God is like building a house without blueprints.

Solomon shared what he learned but said the truth is that the fear of the Lord is where you have to start. Why? Because the fear of the Lord, the reverence of recognizing that the God of Jacob is greater in every way than you, reminds you that you do not know everything. This could leave you feeling inadequate, but God is so compassionate that He wants to help us grow.

Solomon warned that three things can get in the way. He said enticement, waywardness, and complacency. Enticement describes ways in which we can be persuaded to do something we should not. Enticement is interesting because it is not forced. It is persuasion. Solomon is warning us not to let someone or something else lead us in the wrong direction. Do you feel anything in your life pulling you in the wrong direction? Solomon then talked of the waywardness of the simple. Waywardness is the opposite of being rooted in Christ. It describes the person who can easily be persuaded and goes with the flow of whatever is popular or pleases others.

The last warning may be the most devastating in our current culture. Complacency. Comfort. Ease. Prosperity. On the surface, they may not seem bad, but Solomon uses them as a warning against what keeps people from listening to God. He was saying the fool gets so comfortable that they would rather stay comfortable than live like Christ. Are there any areas in your life where you have gotten comfortable or complacent? If we truly fear the Lord, we would never willingly value comfort over our calling.

“I will turn your towns into ruins and you will be desolate. Then you will know that I am the LORD. “Because you harbored an ancient hostility...I will treat you in accordance with the anger and jealousy you showed...You boasted against me and spoke against me without restraint, and I heard it. While the whole earth rejoices, I will make you desolate. Because you rejoiced when the inheritance of Israel became desolate, that is how I will treat you. Then they will know that I am the LORD.” ‭‭Ezekiel‬ ‭35‬:‭4‬-‭13

Can you see what God calls out in this passage? He said you harbored ancient hostility. You held on to anger and jealousy. You did the opposite of fearing me. You boasted against me. Consider pausing and asking yourself if you have any ancient hostilities. You may not have shed blood, but have you written someone off? Is there anyone in your heart you hate?

“Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. We do not want you to be uninformed...We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. We have done so, relying not on worldly wisdom but on God’s grace. For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God. Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ." ‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭1‬:‭2‬-‭24

Paul brings all of today's passages together by reminding us that no matter how many promises God has made, they are Yes in Christ. Think about what that means for your life and what is possible each day. The people in Ezra could never have imagined that the temple would not only be restored but also paid for by a foreign king. David prayed that God would do the unimaginable, moving him from suffering to rejoicing. Solomon said to learn to see how much greater God is than we are. What would happen if we learned to believe that Jesus can do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine? What if we looked at our circumstances with expectation, believing that nothing is impossible with God?

God's promises are Yes and Amen in Christ, but that does not mean God will always give us everything we want. He loves us too much for that. He gives us what we need, and that starts by changing how we see. Solomon said three things will blind our vision: enticement, waywardness, and complacency. Ezekiel called out anger, jealousy, and pride. Each of these reflects ways that a mind set on fleshly desires can limit our vision. God wants to renew our minds, enlarge our faith, and teach us to see beyond our circumstances. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom because it reminds us that God's ways are always higher and better than ours.

Paul said to learn to rely on the power of the resurrection. The power that made a way to conquer the unconquerable, death itself, is at work in us. When we walk by the Spirit, we begin to believe in what we do not yet see. Jesus said blessed are those who believe and yet do not see. God wants us to believe in opportunities where we once saw obstacles. He wants us to believe that what was once broken can be redeemed and what has been lost will be found.

What are you expecting God to do in your life today? If you are hurting, God wants to be your comfort and strength. If you are ready to move, He wants to grow your faith. God will meet you where you are, so bring Him your worries, your hurts, and even your limiting thoughts. Ask Him to change your perspective so you can believe. Life is better when we rely on His power, rest in His presence, and stand firm on His promises. Live today with expectation, knowing that the answers to your prayers are found in His promises, which are Yes and Amen in Christ.