Thoughts from Ezra

A couple of days ago I finished reading through the book of Ezra. One thing that really struck me is the concern that Ezra had for God's honor. For one thing, he doesn't ask the king for soldiers to protect them on their way to Jerusalem, because he wants the king to know that God is good to His people and able to protect His people:

8:21-23 "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. 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.' So we fasted and implored our God for this, and he listened to our entreaty."

Even though he's praying for protection, he's not doing so for his own sake, because he's afraid or just wants to be safe--he prays this way for the sake of the Lord's name, that the king (and others) would see God's faithfulness to His people.

Second...and this is the one that really struck me... in chapter 9, when Ezra finds out about all the Israelites who have intermarried, he doesn't go immediately to the people who sinned. Instead, he tears his garment, and then he goes to God:

9:6 "saying, 'O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift my face to you, my God, for our iniquities have risen higher than our heads, and our guilt has mounted up to the heavens.'"

Wait...our guilt? Ezra didn't do anything! I mean, it's sad, but if this were me, I know I'd be praying "they," "their guilt," "those other people," you know, to make sure that everyone knew I wasn't a part of this. But Ezra isn't concerned with separating himself from "those other Israelites," or with his own reputation, or any of that. He's broken over the fact that God's people have sinned against Him; never mind the fact that Ezra wasn't the one who did the sinning.

9:13-10:1 "'And after all that has come upon us for our evil deeds and for our great guilt, seeing that you, our God, have punished us less than our iniquities deserved and have given us such a remnant as this, shall we break your commandments again and intermarry with the peoples who practice these abominations? Would you not be angry with us until you consumed us, so that there should be no remnant, nor any to escape? O LORD the God of Israel, you are just, for we are left a remnant that has escaped, just as it is today. Behold we are before you in our guilt, for none can stand befor eyou because of this.' While Ezra prayed and made confession, weeping and casting himself down before the house of God, a very great assembly of men, women, and children, gathered to him out of Israel, for the people wept bitterly."

...I want ALL sin to grieve me because it grieves God, and because I'm concerned for the honor due His name...but sometimes, I can be sort of double-minded in this: on the one hand, I really am grieved by the things that grieve the Lord. But at the same time, I can be pretty eager to have my own name cleared.

Not Ezra.

And soon, I trust, by the grace of God...not Danielle Vogt.

Testimonies

In the past week or so, the Lord has really blessed us with opportunities for sweet fellowship with other believers. A brother passing through Wichita needed a place to stay, so we got to spend an evening with him. As so often happens when Christians meet for the first time, we spent most of the evening sharing our testimonies. And this particular brother brought with him the news that the Lord had saved his wife that very morning! Praise the Lord!

This past Sunday, we had lunch with a couple from our church that we're just getting to know...and once again, much of the time was spent sharing about God's work of redemption in each of our lives. How encouraging to reflect on the salvation we have in Christ, and also on how God draws each one to Himself through circumstances, the hearing of truth, crossing paths with Christians, etc. That same night, Johnny heard the testimony of another brother in our church (we're still kind of new to this church and just getting to know everyone).

We could--and will--reflect forever on God's mercy just in saving us, period. But after hearing all these testimonies, I've also been thinking about all the other kindnesses of the Lord in each believer's testimony--things like keeping marriages intact for years before conversion, or (also before conversion) restraining the person from particularly damaging sins, or restoring certain relationships after conversion, or just blessing a new Christian with a sweet friendship with another believer, and on and on and on. I mean, He didn't have to save us in the first place...and of course, justification and Christ's righteousness and peace with God and a new heart are the things we really need. But then it seems like God just floods the believer with all kinds of blessings.

"Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth
Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide;
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,
Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!"

Great is His faithfulness!

Technical issues...video coming...and thoughts

For days now, I've been trying to upload a particular video on this blog. It's a great video of Ella cooing, jabbering and wiggling...but it's ridiculously long--4 minutes--and I think our internet upstream speed is just too slow. It never stopped or timed out or anything, but each time I gave up after seeing the "uploading" message for 2 hours or more. Soooo I hope either to clip that video (only the first minute is really that entertaining anyway) or to get another one that's equally good but SHORTER.

For now, I wanted to share a few thoughts. Today I picked up the book My King by Frances Ridley Havergal. I guess you would call it a "devotional" book, for lack of a better word; it's written in 31 segments or "days." Here are just some pieces from the first "day" which I found encouraging:

"Before the world began, God, that cannot lie, gave the promise of eternal life to Him for us, and made with Him for us 'a covenant ordered in all things, and sure.' The leading provisions of that covenant were, a Lamb for our atonement, and a King for our government--a dying and a living Saviour. This God the Father did for us, and His own divine interest is strongly indicated in the typical words, 'God will provide Himself a Lamb,' and 'I have provided me a King.' So the Source of the Kingship of Christ is God Himself, in the eternal counsels of His love. It is one of the grand 'thoughts of God.'

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Why has God made Jesus King? Who would have guessed the right answer? 'Because the Lord loved His people.' So the very thought of the Kingship of Christ sprang from the everlasting love of God to His people. Bring that wonderful statement down to personal reality,--'His people,' that is, you and me. God made Jesus King over you, because He loved you, and that with nothing less than the love wherewith He loved Him. Which is the more wonderful--the love that devised such a gift, or the gift that was devised by such love! Oh, to realize the glorious value of it! May we, who by His grace know something of God's gift of His Son as our Saviour, learn day by day more of the magnificent preciousness of His gift of His Anointed One as our King!"