They won the lottery, but still . . .

Dear Friends in Christ -

The Old Testament stories in the daily office readings for the end of this week have been from the book of Ezra. Ezra was a priest of the Israelites when they were captive in Babylon. Ezra was singled out by the king for a special mission; he was to lead his people out of slavery, back to Jerusalem, to rebuild the temple and their lives.

The king even gave them a whole huge heap of money and other resources to use in their journey and in the rebuilding. The king gave them everything they could have asked for, and more. It was like they had won the lottery.

The king even offered to have his soldiers and calvary travel to to Jerusalem with the Israelites, to protect them along the way. But this is where Ezra turned off the spigot, saying in effect, "thanks, but no thanks." Ezra didn't want the people to be dependent on anyone but God. If the king kept giving them stuff, how would they know whether or not they were still in relationship with God, relying on HIM as their God, their creator and sustainer?

I have to confess that I have dreamed of winning the lottery. But I have always wondered: if I already had everything, how would I remember, day in and day out, to rely on God? Ezra was stong enough to guide his people into remembering that living in a trusting relationship with God is the BEST place to be.

Faithfully,
Janet+