pack your bags and keep walking...

"Ezra arrived in Jerusalem in August of that year. He had arranged to leave Babylon on April 8, the first day of the new year, and he arrived at Jerusalem on August 4, for the gracious hand of his God was on him. This was because Ezra had determined to study and obey the Law of the Lord and to teach those decrees and regulations to the people of Israel."

- Ezra 7:8-10

I miss blogging. Daily blogging. Reason blogging. I miss sitting down each night and typing my thoughts out. I could still do it, I know. But the thing about daily, reason blogging was that it was divinely assigned and orchestrated blogging. The kind of blogging that only happens with God's help. Because we all know that doing something, besides eating and breathing, on a daily basis isn't always easy. If you're anything like me, it usually falls to the wayside after a bit of time. But 1000 reasons came so easily, so naturally, that there was no denying God planned and wrote out each one.

Faith is always forward looking, not a recreation of the past. That's what my pastor says. God is not in the business of recreating. God is a creator, isn't He? He takes nothing and turns it into something. Dust into people. Darkness into light. He is always doing new things, moving us forward. And the truth is, strangely enough, sometimes it is hard for me to move forward. Sometimes it is hard for me to want to leave the past where it belongs. I want to stay there and revel in it a while longer. I want to relive some of the amazing things God has done for me. And so I find myself stuck in this peculiar spot thinking, "Okay, Lord, that was awesome! What's next? Where are we headed?" And, well, I'm not quite certain. I'm not sure what is in store, the only thing I know for certain is that it's good. How do I know, you ask? Well, God stated that He has good and prosperous plans for me and so I just cling to that because I really have no idea what to expect.

I love studying God's word, and I am so grateful He has given me the opportunity to teach it alongside my mister. What blessing to know the Lord, but what a blessing to be used by the Lord. And so every other week, we get to teach God's word. The beauty of teaching is that you're really required to learn it. I train for a living, and I always say, "If you don't know it, don't try and teach it." And it's true. Teaching holds one accountable to the material. We are grateful for the accountability because, let's be honest, I'd spend my days in the New Testament. It's easier to read. But as we've taught from the Old Testament, my love for the stories have grown and Ezra struck a chord with me this week.

Ezra was called and divinely positioned by God to carry out a God-sized task. God's people had just rebuilt the temple in Jerusalem, but they needed to get back on track. People are and have always been the same. A temple doesn't get us in right order with God, our hearts do. Unfortunately, we sometimes think otherwise. And so Ezra was given the task of turning the hearts of God's people back to God. To help them develop hearts of worship so they'd make the most of the new place of worship. After all, that's what God wants from us. Hearts of worship. But getting there isn't always an easy task. And for this bunch, well, there was work to be done. Ezra was called to do the work. To be the brave, bold soul to stand up and tell the truth to God's people. Truth isn't always accepted, you know, and so don't think for a minute that this was going to be a breeze. This was going to require God's hand every step of the way. And Ezra soon finds himself on a 4 month trek to answer a specific call God was placing on his life.

Four months. Four months of traveling. Of living out of a suitcase or camel tote or whatever they used back then. Four months of leading the pack. How exhausting, right? I get tired just trying to plan out a mini-vaca for two much less a 4 month journey with who knows how many people. But the gracious hand of God was on Ezra, making it all work out despite the odds. And every day, Ezra got up and he moved forward. Day by day, mile by mile, he got closer and closer to Jerusalem. Closer to the very thing God was asking him to do. And yet part of me wonders if Ezra second guessed the journey. Did Ezra lose his zeal? Did he get distracted? Did Ezra long to go back home and sleep in his own bed? Did he want to keep moving forward? Because I have to believe that there were moments where Ezra thought, "Really, God? This is taking forever! I am losing my patience and zeal here." Did Ezra wake up each day as excited about what God had in store for him as he was when he first learned the plan? Did Ezra get distracted by the mundane? Was he to his wits end as he managed all of the other, probably unexpected, situations that arose on the journey to Jerusalem? I can only imagine that if Ezra had patience like me, he would have lost the crowd a few days in and caught the nearest caravan to get there faster.

But God had a timeline for Ezra and that included 4 months of journeying - mundane journeying I might add. Four months of probably the same scenery. Four months of, I'm sure, monotony. Four months of wondering how it would really turn out when he finally arrived. And even though it might seem like those 4 months didn't matter, they did. Because during those 4 months, God was working and moving and preparing. Ezra may have seen it, or he may not have noticed it, but the 4 month journey mattered... even if it wasn't clear at the time.

You may be journeying. God may have you in a season of travel. Who knows how long it will last. But as you move forward, even if you're uncertain where you'll end, God is moving you closer and closer to your Jerusalem. He has a plan for you, and it takes time to get from one point to another. Yet every step matters. The slow steps, the mundane steps, the scary steps, or the monotonous steps. They all lead you closer to God. And trust me, your journey will be the perfect length of time. God will get you there right when He intends for you to arrive. Not a day sooner, not a day later. God always delivers on time.

So move forward. Wake up, pack your bags up, and keep walking. The gracious hand of God is on you, too, my friend.

"Teach me to do your will, for you are my God. May your gracious Spirit lead me forward on a firm footing." - Psalm 143:10