When God gave Ezra the vision and burden for Jerusalem he went to Artaxerxes with his requests. He reports that the emperor "granted him everything he asked, for the hand of the LORD his God was on him (Ezra 7:6). (Google image, Living in God's power).
Ezra was conscious of God's gracious hand in his life. In two chapters he refers to it five times. He told Artaxerxes, "The gracious hand of our God is on everyone who looks to Him (Ezra 8:22).
He then called his people to prayer and fasting for a safe journey. The dangerous and long trip from Mesopotamia to Jerusalem as the caravan carried the enormous store of gold and silver without armed protection was safely completed. "The hand of our God was on us, and he protected us" (Ezra 8:31).
We too can be unusually conscious of God's gracious hand upon our leadership and our people. This should be our experience repeatedly in this New Testament dispensation.
God is longing to be gracious to us (Is. 30:18). "How gracious he will be when you cry for help!" Isaiah added (v. 19). Normally we do not need to have protracted dry periods in our ministry, prolonged times of only minimal evidence of God's presence with us and His using us for His glory.
We can and should frequently experience God-given empowering, refreshing, and fruitfulness. Many times, like Jacob we may discover the full realization after the event. "Surely the LORD is in this place, and I was not aware of it" (Gen. 28:16).
Spiritually discerning people quickly notice the evidence of blessing or lack thereof. Because of God's mighty and gracious hand upon you, the people whose prayer backing and cooperation are most essential to the spiritual aspects of your leadership are most confirmed in their loyalty to you.
They are zealous to follow your leadership. God's people need to see God in you and God using you.
Ezekiel Is the prophet who speaks most of God's hand upon
him . . . Eight times Ezekiel reports that the hand of the Lord was upon him. Seven times he tells how the Spirit lifted him up or raised him to his feet. Twenty-four times he tells how the Spirit "led him," "took" him, or "brought" him.
The important point is that Ezekiel was conscious that God was touching him, speaking to him, leading him, and using him. He knew the hand of God in his ministry; his ministry would not have been the same without it.
How much should we expect to experience something like what Scripture describes in this Hebrew phrase, "the hand of the Lord'? It is another of God's attempts to impress upon us the availability of His power to us and our leadership.
God wants us to receive anew the experience of God's hand upon us, adding His divine dimension to our human best. God wants us to learn a new dependency upon His added enabling, His presence, and His power.
We may prefer to describe it in more modern terms. But there is a divine dimension of spiritual reality which God has available and which He longs to add to our leadership.
If we would be ablaze for God we need to cultivate new God-dependency, God-consciousness, and God-imbued living. We must become alive to God and all of His holy influences and enabling. God must become all-essential to us.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Used by permission of the author and Duewel Literature Trust, Inc., Greenwood, Indiana. Creative reading style by Jean.
Ablaze for God
#9 The Hand of the Lord Upon You
by Dr. Wesley L. Duewel
(pp. 40 - 43) ZondervanPublishingHouse
Our prayer today-
Father, we see that when the term, "the hand of
the Lord"
was upon someone, it meant that Your
Spirit of power
and
grace rested on him for a
special reason or an
occasion.
We all desperately need to have this
divine dimension
added to
our
human best, to accomplish
what Your will is for us.
It is our desire to have Your presence with us,
and to be used more effectively for Your glory today.
Help us understand that we need a new dependency
upon Your enabling, Your presence, and Your power.
We ask for this in the name of Jesus.
Amen.
Today's Bible verses-
"Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in
all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in
Christ Jesus" (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, NIV).
"I am still not all I should be, but I am bringing all
my energies to bear on this one thing: Forgetting
the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I
strain to reach the end of the race and receive the
prize for which God is calling us up to heaven
because of what Christ Jesus did for us”
(Philippians 3:13-14 TLB).
~ Michael Catt- "If you are in a box, get out! Find out what He has called you to do and stay there long enough to see it happen. Seek the Lord, plow up your fallow ground until He comes and rains down righteousness on you. Ask God to give you the faith and tenacity to prepare for a harvest. Believe God for a harvest even if there seems to be no chance of a coming shower of blessing." (p. 171 of his book, Prepare for RAIN).
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Today's question-
What usually happens when God shows up?
He begins to supply whatever need we have, and we're astonished. After waiting and praying for so long a time about an issue, when things begin to come together, there is rejoicing and giving of thanks. Maybe we should do this when we ask in faith in the first place, and believe then, that He'll start to work on it! The Bible tell us to do this that our joy may be full. (John 16:24; 14:13, 14). We'll have to ask for what will glorify Jesus and the Father.
If you enjoy seeing beautiful horses, I invite you to watch the above video of WAR HORSES.
#10 The All-Essential Power
16th- Thursday's post by Dr. Wesley L. Duewel
What is Repentance?
18th- Saturday's post by Gypsy Smith
#11 It Takes Power to Extend the Kingdom
21st- Tuesday's post by Dr. Wesley L. Duewel
#12 God's Power in the Ministry of Charles G. Finney
23rd- Thursday's post by Dr. Wesley L. Duewel
(Click to see snippets of the 7 recent posts)
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