10 August 2009 Devotion for Today "Keep on Going" Ezra 5:1-5

1 Then the prophet Haggai and Zechariah the son of Iddo, prophets, prophesied to the Jews who were in Judah and Jerusalem, in the name of the God of Israel, who was over them. 2 So Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and Jeshua the son of Jozadak[a] rose up and began to build the house of God which is in Jerusalem; and the prophets of God were with them, helping them. 3 At the same time Tattenai the governor of the region beyond the River[b] and Shethar-Boznai and their companions came to them and spoke thus to them: “Who has commanded you to build this temple and finish this wall?” 4 Then, accordingly, we told them the names of the men who were constructing this building. 5 But the eye of their God was upon the elders of the Jews, so that they could not make them cease till a report could go to Darius. Then a written answer was returned concerning this matter." (Ezra 5:1-5)

Sir Winston Churchill is credited with the phrase, "When you are going through hell, keep going." The phrase came out of the dark days of the early part of World War II, when London was bombarded by the Germans and invasion seemed imminent. In situations like this, there is a great temptation to allow fear and intimidation to paralyze us into defeat. Churchill's tenacity and courage emboldened his people to endure and suffer through the heartache of loss and devastation to that they would not only survive the war but become victorious.

The circumstances are different, but the principle is consistent to what the Israelites experienced in these chapters. The resettlement committee of the exiles suffered a severe set-back in chapter four of our text. Political pressure from the pagan citizens of Jerusalem caused the King of Persia to go back on his decree. He sent out an order to cease and desist on rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem. Since the decree originally stated that the Jews were to rebuild the Temple, they put aside the wall project and began rebuild that instead. Seeing that they had been thwarted, they became furious, and appealed to the king again- hoping to make their lives miserable with defeat. They did not want the Jews to resettle; for they would dominate the landscape and supplant the weaker pagan settlement. The pagans had not done much for Jerusalem- they just did not wish to see anyone else succeed. The Jews responded to this pagan pettiness by ignoring them. They knew they were on solide footing within their rights to rebuild the Temple, and knew that the pagans would incur the wrath of the king if they insisted upon drawing him into a legal battle.

Satan seeks to harass all Christians- especially the ones who are being blessed by God. IF you are succeeding you might well expect that the devil will try to make your life miserable. Even so, the thing to do is not to give up, but keep on going. May the Lord give you the courage today, even if you "are going through hell" to keep on going today.

Have a blessed day!

Prayer: Dear Lord, I am going through a battle today. Satan's cronies are trying to make my life a living hell- hoping to disappoint and discourage me in the work that I do for you. Help me first of all to be patient and not to lose my cool. Secondly, help me to be gracious, but firm in my resolve to keep pressing forward no matter what people are thinking about the situation. Thirdly, may I give glory to You because You will vindicate me in the end. I put on the full armor of God today, and move forward with the Sword of the Spirit of the Word of God drawn and ready to strike should Satan mount an assault against me. God, please go with me, and keep me going. In Jesus Name, Amen.