The Hand of God

Ezra 7:27-28  “Blessed be the LORD God of our fathers, which hath put such a thing as this in the king’s heart, to beautify the house of the LORD which is in Jerusalem: and hath extended mercy unto me before the king, and his counselors, and before all the king’s mighty princes. And I was strengthened as the hand of the LORD my God was upon me, and I gathered together out of Israel chief men to go up with me.”

Over and over in the book of Ezra we see the phrase “the hand of God.” Behind all that was accomplished through men in this book was God’s hand. Here in these verses Ezra was blessing God for the things that the pagan kings did for the children of Israel. He realized that God was behind it all.

In our lives, too, it is important that the favor we aim to cultivate the most is the favor of God. Much of what the world sees as “success” leans upon cultivating favor with man. Think of the lobbyist in Washington: everything that he does hinges upon gaining favor with certain powerful men so that these men can, in turn, help the lobbyist accomplish his particular goal. Now, having favor with men is not inherently wrong. The danger comes when we depend upon the favor of men to meet our needs instead of depending upon our Lord. You see, if we have God’s favor, we will have all that we need.

In Ezra 6, we see that the pagan king Darius was actually funding the building of the temple in Jerusalem. He said, “Moreover I make a decree what ye shall do to the elders of these Jews for the building of this house of God: that of the king’s goods, even of the tribute beyond the river, forthwith expenses be given unto these men, that they be not hindered.” He continues in his decree to promise safety to those building the temple and warns those who would hinder the work of severe punishment. At first glance, it might appear that the work of God was dependent upon human power; but God’s hand was behind even the favor that Darius showed to God’s people.

Verse 22 says that “the LORD had made them [God’s people] joyful, and turned the heart of the king of Assyria unto them, to strengthen their hands in the work of the house of God, the God of Israel.” Yes, God uses favor with men, even unsaved men, to further his work; but we must know that all favor with man is God-given. Don’t look to people instead of looking to God. Our focus, our aim should be to have the favor of God! All of our choices and ambitions should be guided by a desire to be in His favor.

How can we have the favor of God? Simply by daily being what we ought to be and doing what we ought to do. Sometimes doing what is right may mean losing the favor of “powerful” men that have resources you think you need; or it may mean that you stay in the background without being noticed by influential people. Don’t worry! The only thing you need is the favor of God; in Him you will have all that you need.