15 And Moses said to Him, “If Your presence will not go with me, do not bring us up from here.

16 For how shall it be known that I have found favor in Your sight, I and Your people? Is it not in Your going with us, so that we are distinct, I and Your people, from every other people on the face of the earth?”

— Exodus 33:15-16

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.

— Isaiah 43:2

You make known to me the path of life; in Your presence there is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

— Psalm 16:11

5 Blessed are those whose strength is in You, in whose heart are the highways to Zion.

10 For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness.

11 For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor. No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly.

— Psalm 84:5, 10-11

Thoughts on Today’s Reading

Grace, mercy and salvation from Christ to you.

Ezra is deemed a great leader, but his success did not depend on his intelligence or strategy. God’s hand was on him when he made his request to King Artaxerxes. God’s hand was on him when the king’s edict paved the way for his journey and paid the bill. God’s hand was on him when Levites and temple servants joined the travelers and the people sought God in prayer. God’s hand was on him as the band of travelers arrived safely in Jerusalem with their treasures intact. God’s presence and blessing matter more than anything else this world offers.

Do you recognize God’s hand in your life? Do you recognize God’s hand in the lives of those around you? Do you ever rush past God’s obvious blessings without acknowledging His intervention and provision? Sometimes we recognize God’s hand through evident success. Other times, God’s blessing comes through His unrelenting presence through persistent hardship. In every case, God upholds His purposes in the lives of His people. In a lot of situations we rely on God to act on our behalf. Let’s trust God to do what only He can. Let’s look for God’s hand at work in our lives.