The Blessing of God's Hand

Detail Rembrandt's Prodigal Son

..... the king gave him everything he asked for, because the gracious hand of the Lord his God was on him. Ezra 7:6

....for the gracious hand of his God was on him. Ezra 7:9

I felt encouraged because the gracious hand of the Lord my God was on me. Ezra 7:28

And the gracious hand of our God protected us.... Ezra 8:31

When I ponder reading through the book of Ezra, I look forward to reading these verses. So far, I haven't tired of them yet.

What they mean to me is 1) God can and will be involved in the affairs of our lives, and 2) The blessing of God makes all the difference.

I don't really think about how to "qualify" for these things, and it isn't my purpose to even explore that here. The main point to me is simply wanting these things, especially the latter. The blessing of God turns failure into success, meaningless into meaningful, futile into productive, trouble into protection, wasted into redeemed. And on and on you or I could go.

Ezra discerned that his effectiveness was due to God, and he "bothers" to point this out. No, he is all too glad to say he saw God at work. It wasn't a set of good coincidences, fate, luck or chance. God was blesser and he was the blessed. I want that all the time. Do you?

by beanscot's husband