Encouraged

"Praise the Lord, the God of our ancestors, who made the king want to beautify the Temple of the Lord in Jerusalem! And praise him for demonstrating such unfailing love to me by honoring me before the king, his council, and all his mighty nobles! I felt encouraged because the gracious hand of the Lord my God was upon me. And I gathered some of the leaders of Israel to return with me to Jerusalem." 
Ezra 7:27-30

It shouldn't surprise me anymore, but it still stirs my soul every time it happens. On occasion, I pray for something so specific to a moment in time, to a person, to a unique situation and then God, in ways only he can, makes it happen. I've learned that both the nudge to pray for that very particular request is coming from him and so is the answer. Amazing! The goal, I believe, is to encourage my faith.

Ezra found himself in one of those head-scratching jumping for joy moments. Here he was a subject to a pagan king, who could command his execution on a whim, found himself in an overflowing stream of blessing. Authority, money, provision and protection were all handed over to him to ensure that the worship of God and intercession for the king would take place without hindrance. The goal? To encourage his faith.


God is a faith builder. He wants his people to grow in their trust of him and their willingness to obey him. With courage comes victory. With courage comes Kingdom expansion. What is God nudging you to pray for these days? What step of faith is he asking you to take? When you do, he will move in unmistakable ways. The goal? To encourage your faith.

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