Bold: More than a type of coffee

It’s so easy to be busy. Minus a week of vacation earlier in the summer, I could probably describe every day in recent memory as busy. Some days are busy with work. Some days are busy with my kids. Some days are busy with housework. Some days are busy with fun. But most days are busy. I’m busy. Can you relate?This week, as I continued my priority time in the book of Ezra, I was convicted that being busy – even with good things – is not how I want to be defined. Now, don’t get me wrong… Ezra was busy, too. At this particular point in his story, having just received a blank check to get what he needs, he’s about to lead a bunch of Israelites back to their homeland after many years in captivity. Ezra certainly had a full plate. He was calling everyone together to prepare for the dangerous journey ahead, and was making sure they had all they needed.In the midst of his busyness, however, he stopped and gathered all the people together to fast and pray, asking God to give them a safe journey. Well, that sounds easy. Not convicted yet. We pray for our families to be safe, too. So far so good, right?Not so fast! As I continued reading in Ezra 8, I realized he was praying for protection because he was ashamed to ask the king for it. The king had just told him that he would give Ezra pretty much anything he needed. If I were Ezra, I’d put in a request for soldiers. Not Ezra, though. Listen to why he refused to ask for help:

For I was ashamed to ask the king for a band of soldiers and horsemen to protect us against the enemy on our way, since we had told the king, “The hand of our God is for good on all who seek him, and the power of his wrath is against all who forsake him.” (Ezra 8:22)

Do you hear Ezra’s boldness? When’s the last time you declared the power of God to someone? Most of us don’t want to over-promise God’s power. We think, “What if He doesn’t show up? What if it causes them to doubt God?”Ezra was bold to declare who his God was to the king. Beyond that, he cared so much about God’s reputation that he was determined to trust his God to be God. Ezra gathered everyone who was making the journey with him and had them call upon the Lord. Scripture says, “we fasted and implored our God for this, and he listened to our entreaty” (Ezra 8:23).Ezra trusted. Ezra sought God and God did not disappoint. Ezra later writes, “The hand of our God was on us, and he delivered us from the hand of the enemy and from ambushes by the way” (8:31).I want to challenge you. Where do you need to be confident in your God? Where do you need to care about His reputation so much that you trust Him to show up? Where do you need to stop to fast and pray? I want to be bold like Ezra. I want to trust my God to be God and never be ashamed to give people an accurate picture of who my God really is.Ezra wasn’t foolish. He wasn't mean-spirited. He declared the greatness of his God to the king. Then he got on his face and asked God to be God in a very specific way. I need to do that more. What about you?