Faith or Presumption?

“Then I proclaimed a fast there at the river of Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God, to seek from Him the right way for us and our little ones and all our possessions. For I was ashamed to request of the king an escort of soldiers and horsemen to help us against the enemy on the road, because we had spoken to the king, saying, ‘The hand of our God is upon all those for good who seek Him, but His power and His wrath are against all those who forsake Him.’ So we fasted and entreated our God for this . . . . Then we departed from the river of Ahava on the twelfth day of the first month, to go to Jerusalem. And the hand of our God was upon us, and He delivered us from the hand of the enemy and from ambush along the road.” (Ezra 8:21-23, 31 NKJV)

In 460 B.C. travel was hazardous. Thieves made their living from anyone foolish enough to travel in unprotected groups. Ezra earlier told the king that he trusted God. Now he and a group of families would travel from Babylon to Jerusalem. He realized the normal thing would be to ask for a military escort to protect them from thieves, but what about his boast in God? Was that boast faith or presumption?

Years ago we lived in a town that took a plebiscite whether or not the local hospital would do abortions. Some churches sent out folks door-to-door to make sure voters knew the consequences should that happen. One person kept saying, “I’m sure that God is going to have this voted down.” However, it was not voted down.

That was a lesson for me in presumption. Don’t put on God something I want to happen. Find out what He wants, and if He does not tell me, be very careful about assuming anything. Faith trusts Him, but faith does not tell Him what to do.

Yesterday a friend and I discussed the implications of telling God what to do — as if we know better than He does! We pray our suggestions to Him, so easily forgetting that He knows all things, can do all things, and has far better ideas than anything that ever enters our heads. Telling God what to do is an insult to Him. I need to be like Mary at the wedding in Cana. She did not tell Jesus what to do. She simply presented the problem to Jesus and told the servants to “do whatever He says.”

Ezra was ashamed to ask the king for help even though his boast in God was not idle; God’s hand is upon all who trust Him. Yet Ezra knew he needed to humble himself and ask God for protection for this trip, not just assume that God would do it.

Every time I pray, I must remember that God is God. Not only does He know more than I do about the things I pray for, and knows when and how to answer my requests, He also does not have to do anything I ask. Who am I to tell the Lord of the universe how to rule His kingdom?

At the same time, He tells His people to ask, and He does answer. Prayer is not only grace and a privilege, but an awesome mystery!