God's Good Hand

Daily Reading: Ezra 7

The good hand of his God was on him. For Ezra had set his heart to study the Law of the Lord, and to do it and to teach his statutes and rules in Israel. (Ezra 7.9-10)

Devotional Thought: The Psalmist declared, "The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot. The [boundary] lines have fallen for me in pleasant places" (Psalm 16.5-6a).  The scribe Ezra had a similar testimony.  His life was not one of ease and comfort.  As a matter of fact, Ezra knew much hard work and heartache.  But through it all Ezra recognized "the good hand of his God was on him."  Why was that? 

While the goodness of God is not dependent upon the deeds of man, Ezra realized that the door to God's goodness was opened when he...

• Set his heart to study the Law of the Lord.  This does not mean that God is good only to the academically proficient.  Rather, it means that if we will apply ourselves to discover the principles of the Bible our lives will be improved.

• Determined that he would do the Law of the Lord.  Knowledge is not enough.  We are not to be hearers only, but doers of the word (Romans 2.13, James 1.23).  Jesus said, "If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them" (John 13.17).

• Decided that he would teach the Law of the Lord to Israel, his community.  As the saying goes, "A rising tide lifts all ships."  As we teach God's principles, society as a whole is lifted, and we will certainly benefit along with it.

If we want to have the good hand of God upon us, we need to set our hearts to study his Word, to do it and to teach it.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for your words of life.  Help me to learn them, to do them, and to teach them so that I and those I love may have the good hand of God upon us.  Amen.

Psalm of the Day: Psalm 96:7-13

7 Ascribe to the LORD, all you families of nations, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.

8 Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; bring an offering and come into his courts.

9 Worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness; tremble before him, all the earth.

10 Say among the nations, “The LORD reigns.” The world is firmly established, it cannot be moved; he will judge the peoples with equity.

11 Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad; let the sea resound, and all that is in it.

12 Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them; let all the trees of the forest sing for joy.

13 Let all creation rejoice before the LORD, for he comes, he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples in his faithfulness.