Strategies for the Journey

Pat and Sam

I want to introduce you to 2 people that we would likely consider 2 opposing views on how we ought to go about life and decision making.

Practical Pat is our first person.

He is a planner who loves to run through all the possible scenarios and outcomes of a potential decision just to make sure he is not making too rash of a decision.

He is not prone to take risks, but rather is cautious, calculated, and careful.

He is prone to worry though, if there isn’t enough information or if there isn’t enough preparation.

He likes verses like Luke 14:28-30:

Luke 14:28–30 ESV

28 For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? 29 Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, 30 saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’

His assumption is that God blesses us when we are careful, cautious, and organized in our planning.

Spiritual Sammy is our second person.

Unlike Pat, Sammy is bold and adventurous.

She loves to try new things, take risks, and make plans as she goes.

She is an act now, think later kind of person, who thinks facts and information are just anchors holdings us down from really experiencing God’s power and provision.

Planning, preparing, and projecting is just a sign that we do not have faith that God is going to “show up”.

She loves verses like Matthew 21:21-22

Matthew 21:21–22 ESV

21 And Jesus answered them, “Truly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ it will happen. 22 And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.”

Her assumption is that God blesses our plans based on how much we are willing to trust in Him.

So who is right?

I am sure if I gave us all the opportunity to defend our side that there would be quite the discussion and it would likely get passionate.

This is a topic that has the potential to create division, especially as we look at budgets, make plans for the future, and handle problems that come along the way.

We are in budget planning season as a church right now and are faced with this very dilemma.

We have been in a very odd season of ministry and are not entirely sure what 2021 is going to look like for ministry as a whole.

We have ran the numbers, considered the current situation in our country and our immediate context, and are seeking God’s direction on how He wants us to proceed.

If you are a committed member of EHBC then we would call you to pray and seek God with us. Ask questions and be informed as we present the budget proposal in the coming weeks/months.

But know that you have a propensity to lean in one of these two directions that will influence how you look at the budget as well as the overall ministry plans of our church and your own life.

I want to make the case today that neither are right and both are right. And that in Ezra 8 we see both of these ideas play out.

In Chapter 8, Ezra is still in Babylon and is gathering a group and preparing to go to Jerusalem.

In this chapter, Ezra faces 3 problems and there are 3 solutions, or reactions, to those problems that I want to examine today.

3 Problems and 3 Solutions

Ch 8 starts off with a list and genealogy of those who were going with Ezra.

Then in vs 15 Ezra begins to speak in first person as he has gathered the group by a river and camps there for 3 days to go over his list of all that is needed.

As he is doing this, he encounters his first problem:

Ezra 8:15 ESV

15 I gathered them to the river that runs to Ahava, and there we camped three days. As I reviewed the people and the priests, I found there none of the sons of Levi.

Problem 1: INSUFFICIENT PERSONNEL

After taking account of all the people, Ezra realized there were no Levites in the group.

The reason this was a problem was that Levites were of the priestly class (not all Levites were priests, but all priests were Levites) and were responsible to carry the sacred items necessary for the Temple.

If he didn’t have Levites, he didn’t have anyone for that job.

So what does he do.

Ezra 8:16–17 ESV

16 Then I sent for Eliezer, Ariel, Shemaiah, Elnathan, Jarib, Elnathan, Nathan, Zechariah, and Meshullam, leading men, and for Joiarib and Elnathan, who were men of insight, 17 and sent them to Iddo, the leading man at the place Casiphia, telling them what to say to Iddo and his brothers and the temple servants at the place Casiphia, namely, to send us ministers for the house of our God.

Solution 1: CONFIDENT DIRECTIVE

Ezra doesn’t stop and spend a day in prayer (he likely had already been praying). He doesn’t pull back and review his plans to see if there was something missing in his recruitment strategy.

No, he taps a few guys, tells them to go to Iddo, whom we know little about, and pick up some Levites for the journey.

This is a “take the bull by the horns” situation for Ezra that was driven by a few things.

His awareness of where he could find Levites and who would be able to persuade them, or order them, to come.

His knowledge of the Word of God that guided him on what was necessary for the task that was ahead of him.

And his confidence in the plan of God that he had already seen supernaturally move forward (Cyrus’s decree, Darius’s decree, and now Artexerxes decree).

And then we see his response, which is so important and so powerful:

Ezra 8:18 ESV

18 And by the good hand of our God on us, they brought us a man of discretion, of the sons of Mahli the son of Levi, son of Israel, namely Sherebiah with his sons and kinsmen, 18;

Even though Ezra was the one that acted, he knows that his actions are only successful if God is behind them.

Problem 2: INADEQUATE PROTECTION

Now that he had the right group together, Ezra quickly faces the next problem.

They had a long road ahead of them and he was carrying a lot of valuable cargo.

The road ahead was very dangerous as there were gangs of thieves that would potentially cross their paths and steal all the valuables they were carrying.

Ezra acknowledges the need for protection, but also his hesitancy for requesting it from the king.

There would have been a precedent for him requesting a military escort, Nehemiah did in Nehemiah 2.

But Ezra says

Ezra 8:22 ESV

22 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.”

His shame isn’t in forgetting to ask, but in requesting protection after he had just proclaimed the goodness and power of God to protect them on their journey.

He wanted to display to the king just how mighty and good God is.

But he was obviously nervous and anxious about the journey, so what is his solution?

Solution 2: FERVENT PETITION

Ezra 8:21 ESV

21 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.

Ezra 8:23 ESV

23 So we fasted and implored our God for this, and he listened to our entreaty.

What is different about this problem than the first problem?

God is no different in either problem, Ezra is the difference.

Ezra knew in the first problem what he needed to do in order to solve it, and trusted that God would work it out based on what he knew to be true.

Here Ezra doesn’t know what the road ahead holds, but is confident that God does, and so he prays and fasts in confidence and in humility.

Ezra called for a time of prayer and fasting not because he wanted to woo God into something, but in order for him and the whole group to humbly and eagerly seek God’s help.

He was acknowledging his absolute dependence on God’s power, provision, and protection.

This is not unlike the first as he sees that God is behind providing the Levites he needed for the journey.

This intentional prayer and fasting was meant for them more than it was meant to change the mind of God.

This is the true motive of prayer, for us to humble ourselves before God and acknowledge our need for His power and His provision in our lives.

The state of our prayer life is an indication of what we believe about God.

The lack of prayer either indicates we don’t believe God cares about the issues and circumstance of our life or the world we live in; or it indicates we don’t believe He has the power to handle them.

Our mechanical and ritualistic prayer indicates we are more superstitious about the way God works than confident in his power.

If we don’t prayer we might offend Him and not get something we really want. While if I do pray, even if it is the same sort of thing every time, then it least I will appease Him enough for now.

The reason why Paul calls us to pray without ceasing is that we would constantly be confessing out dependence on God and constantly remembering His power, faithfulness, and care for us.

The diligence of our prayer life will depend in many regards to how desperate we are and how much we believe God can do.

Ezra was desperate, WE are desperate, if we are willing to admit it.

That is the purpose of fasting, to feel a tangible hunger that we can translate into our need for God.

Ezra led them to feel their desperation and implore the only one they could truly count on.

Problem 3: CARELESS DISORGANIZATION

They were setting our with lots of expensive stuff that was given to them by the king and it was important for honest purposes, accountability purposes, and stewardship purposes that everything makes it to Jerusalem.

The problem he was seeking to prevent was disorganization, which had the potential to really hurt the plans Ezra and the group had for reestablishing the Temple worship.

If he wasn’t organized and careful he would have been practicing bad stewardship, bad accounting, and bad accountability.

Solution 3: FAITHFUL STEWARDSHIP

Before the leave Ezra has all the valuable weighed before they are loaded.

Once they arrive in Jerusalem, he again has everything weighed in order to make sure it all made it safely to Jerusalem.

There is this somewhat unhealthy and some what unbiblical belief that careful planning and organization is some how a lack of faith in God.

That we should trust God more and not be so worried things aren’t going to turn out the way we want them to.

There is some truth to that sentiment, we often rely too heavy on our ability to plan and organize things to a degree that we can handle any potential problem through out ingenuity and our attention to detail.

But that isn’t right either.

Think of the parable of the talents.

3 guys are given differing amounts from their master and they are expected to invest the money wisely and be good stewards of what they are entrusted with.

Once the master returns, 2 of the guys are praised because they handled the money well, while the third is scolded and thrown out because he was lazy and didn’t handle his portion with integrity.

God isn’t honored by us throwing caution to the wind and not seeking to be good stewards of the things He gives us.

After they return to Jerusalem with all they were to bring they offer burnt offerings to the Lord.

They worship God with their resources, acknowledging that He is the one that provided them with it all and ultimately made sure it arrived where it was supposed to.

Principles for the Journey

1) Pray FIRST and MOST.

We must be quick to pray and slow to scheme or to worry.

And we must be fervent and serious in our prayers, believing that God listens and He is powerful to act.

Don’t treat it prayer as a last resort or a booster for the real work.

Be fervent in prayer, imploring God with confidence

Finally, be steady and disciplined in prayer.

Many people honestly don’t know how to pray.

They have never been taught, so you might be hearing my words and saying “I wish I knew what to say.”

First off, prayer is just talking to God, so don’t worry about getting the words right.

Secondly, use a tool life the Lord’s prayer in Matt 6:5-15 as a structure to your prayer.

Or use an acronym like HEART

HONOR God with Praise.

Examine your life.

Ask for personal needs.

Request help for others.

Thank God for His blessings.

Or the ACTS acronym:

Adoration (worship)

Confession (of sin)

Thanksgiving

Supplication (ask for help for you and others)

Prayer is a discipline that reaps great reward if we are diligent.

2) LISTEN and MOVE.

God doesn’t want us to sit back and wait for Him to make things happen.

He wants us to listen to Him and move

To act, but to do so confidently as we are in tune with His Word and His Spirit.

The disciplines of the faith allow us to be ready to act as we are in tune with the Will of God (not as some over-spiritualized concept), but as the revealed truth about who He is and what He is about.

Ephesians 3:11–12 ESV

11 This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord, 12 in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him.

True faith drives us to action, even if the action is waiting.

It doesn’t lead us to sitting

What I am not telling you to do is go do something unwise, but God doesn’t want us to wait for Him to give us a funny feeling in our gut when He has been intentional over thousands of years to reveal Himself in His Word and give us access (through the blood of Jesus) to Him through the Spirit and prayer.

So seek the Word, pray, Listen and then move, unless the Word says no or the Spirit closes the door.

You applied for the job and didn’t get it - Answer

You thought you should date that guy, but find out he is likely not a believer - ANSWER

3) WORSHIP through FAITHFUL STEWARDSHIP.

God gives us gifts, He blesses us with resources, He places us in communities, workplaces, friends groups, families, and all kinds of other places for intended purposes.

How are you stewarding what you have been given?

Worship is when do draw attention to the greatness of God.

Ezra’s attention to making sure the things God had given the people got to Jerusalem was an act of worship as much as using them was.

Lets be a people who worship God with what He has blessed us with.

2 Chronicles 7:14 ESV

14 if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

This passage is the guide for our journey of faith, may we be a humble, prayerful, trusting, and obedient people.