Ezra 8:18. “And by the good hand of our God upon us they brought us a man of understanding, of the sons of Mahli, the son of Levi, the son of Israel; and Sherebiah, with his sons and his brethren eighteen;”
A MAN OF UNDERSTANDING. I wonder who that was, that man of understanding, Who God arranged to come out of obscurity, capable of handling A work that seemed beyond the skill and ability of most, But was needed to guide and organize all that gathering host?
Behind that action was the good hand of our God, Who knew the need of the hour was a man to bear a load; Of responsibility and lead people in a work of faith, So that testimony for God would begin in that place.
Wherever and whenever a work for God wants to be done, We look to God Himself to find a special one To rise to the challenge of defining the need, And with understanding, for us who follow, to take the lead.
Sometimes we look around; sometimes behind, Wondering is there someone we can find Who has the imprint of God’s divine hand on his shoulder, That we can look to for leadership and will make us bolder.
Perhaps we should look ahead to see if there is one who is young, Who with God-given understanding is being raised up to help us be strong, That we may once again have the strength to overcome All opposition and make this work a lasting one.
When people know that for some reason a work has stopped; Then it is important we turn to God who all believers have besought At times to intervene and help us to once more begin The work that was once strong and needs strengthening again.
“O God of recovery, I pray today that a man of understanding might be found to meet the need we have of rebuilding here. The believers have warm hearts but little physical strength. We have the desire but our age is against us. We know Thee better than ever before but we don’t seem to be able to cross the age and cultural barriers that surround us. Help us, O Lord God, I pray, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.”