Depending on the Hand of God

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Beside the Ahava River, I asked the people to go without eating and to pray. We humbled ourselves and asked God to bring us and our children safely to Jerusalem with all of our possessions.  I was ashamed to ask the king to send soldiers and cavalry to protect us against enemies along the way. After all, we had told the king that our God takes care of everyone who truly worships him, but that he gets very angry and punishes anyone who refuses to obey.  So we went without food and asked God himself to protect us, and he answered our prayers.

Ezra 8: 21 - 23

Security systems are very popular today in North America.  The changing moral code, or should I say declining moral code means that more and more people have no personal prohibitions against stealing what you have, if they can do it without getting caught!

In these verses from Ezra chapter 8 we see that the prophet was ashamed to ask the king for protection, because he had told the king that God would take care of them as they traveled to Jerusalem!

What could this mean for followers of Jesus today?  Is it a sin to have a security system on your house?  Does it show no faith if you have a strong wall to keep out those who would steal from you or do worse?

The question we must all answer is this: Who am I trusting to protect me from the Devil and his designs to do me harm?  Am I trusting my own cunning and human wisdom?  Do I depend on a security company to keep me safe?  Or do I trust and depend on God Almighty no matter what other "security" measures are around me?  

If you say to yourself, "I don't need to trust God because I have an army guarding me from harm," then you are in great danger!  But if you say, "I trust God completely no matter what other protections may be in place around me," then you can rest at peace knowing that nothing can touch you without first passing through the Hand of God!

"Lord Jesus, thank You for being everything I need in this life or the next!  Praise Your Holy Name now and forever.  Amen."