Tag: Obstacles

Ezra And His Dream

Posted on by Northstar Devotional

“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 7:9-10. 

Ezra is the story of how God takes a defeated people and moves supernaturally to send them back to Jerusalem to rebuild the city. Solomon’s temple was destroyed and laid in ruin for decades. God raised up a remnant to return to Israel. God moved the heart of the Persian King, Cyrus, to allow the Israelites in Babylon who desired to go back to Israel and rebuild the temple.

The Phrase in Ezra, “the hand of God” sums up what was happening. The Lord was in this return. It was part of His master plan. “This Ezra was a scribe who was well versed in the Law of Moses, which the Lord, the God of Israel, had given to the people of Israel. He came up to Jerusalem from Babylon, and the king gave him everything he asked for, because the gracious hand of the Lord his God was on him.” (Ezra 7:6) Ezra 5:5 says, “But because their God was watching over them, the leaders of the Jews were not prevented from building until a report was sent to Darius and he returned his decision.”

Ezra completed his journey, and the vulnerable exiles arrived safely in Jerusalem, according to “the good hand of his God upon him.” It is evident as you read the entire story that follows in chapters 7 and 8 that God’s blessing was upon Ezra. God’s care, provision, and protection were with Ezra and those returning to Judah with him. “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 7:10)  

Ezra had first, prepared his heart. To set the heart is to determine, to devote, and to dedicate our whole being to something.  He sought the law of the Lord. To seek the Law of the Lord is to invest time and effort in studying the Bible. We seek to know the mind, the heart, and the ways of God through His Word. The hand of God was upon Ezra because he was determined to know and understand God’s Word. Ezra was committed to doing the Law of the Lord. James taught that to be a hearer of the Word without being a doer of the Word is to be self-deceived (James 1:22). The hand of God was upon Ezra because he was determined to obey God’s Law.

The story of Ezra with rebuilding the temple is an example of how obstacles can be overcome when God’s moving hand is behind His people. There is power when the “hand of God” is with His people. 

Discussion Questions: 

  1. Do we need the “hand of God” to fulfill our dreams?
  2. How do we go about rebuilding the temple of our lives? 

More Than Your Wildest Dreams

Posted on by Northstar Devotional

“May God our Father and our Lord Jesus bring us to you very soon. And may the Lord make your love for one another and for all people grow and overflow, just as our love for you overflows. May he, as a result, make your hearts strong, blameless, and holy as you stand before God our Father when our Lord Jesus comes again with all his holy people. Amen.” – 1 Thessalonians 3:11-13.

In the movie Billy Elliott, a young boy loves to dance. But he has a major obstacle: his father disapproves. Billy has a long, arduous road to travel, but his dream keeps him going despite his challenges. This wonderful movie will encourage anyone who has a dream to keep reaching for it and inspire those who have stopped dreaming to once again imagine what could be.

Our lives, like that of Billy Elliott, are full of obstacles—people and circumstances that try to tell us our dreams are impossible, unrealistic, or, as in Billy’s case, that there is something or someone trying to keep us from fulfilling them. 

When we dream, how big do we dream? How large can our aspirations be? There is a certain fear within a dream and a bigger fear of trusting God with our dreams. We worry that our expectations are too high, that our dream could never happen, or that this dream of ours is too big for us. One of the most common fears as Christians is that our dreams might not lie within the parameters of God’s plan for our lives.

God’s hope and plan for us are pretty simple to figure out. For those who resonate with formulas, here it is: add your whole life, your loves, your passions, and your interests together with what God said He wants us to be about, and that’s your answer: basically that is to love God and love people. Does your dream fall within that?

Loving God is surrendering everything in your life for His glory, and the beauty of loving people is that it could take shape in so many different ways. That is where your dream lies. Within fulfilling the great commandment; loving God and dreaming big for His glory and the love of His people.

God longs for His children to dream. He longs for us to set aside time with Him to wish and wonder about what life could be. I fear that many Christians have lost the art of dreaming with God out of a misunderstanding of His heart. While God most definitely has a will for our lives, He also longs for us to dream with Him so that His desires become our own. While He most definitely has perfect plans for us, He longs for us to want His plans so that we might co-labor with Him. Psalm 37:4 says, “Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desires.” 

 

Discussion Questions:

  1. What are your dreams? 
  2. What dreams do you feel will never come true? Why? 
  3. What dreams are you sure will come true? Why?

What Do We Do When We Face Barriers In Our Way?

Posted on by Northstar Devotional

“The marvelous richness of human experience would lose something of rewarding joy if there were no limitations to overcome. The hilltop hour would not be half so wonderful if there were no dark valleys to traverse.” – Helen Keller

We often live life under the illusion that everything depends on us or on those around us. But it doesn’t. Everything depends on God. But, each day there can be at least one barrier we face, and whatever it is, can come suddenly, without warning, and we’re faced with a decision. How do I handle this issue? Can I overcome this barrier with any degree of confidence? 

Seal training is intense. BUDS, which stands for Basic Underwater Demolition Seal Training is the most intense. During BUDS, you have to survive “one-hundred-ten hours without sleep.” You have to carry a log over your head for hours. Countless swims, endless runs, jumping out of planes, and then the “pool comp.” In “pool comp” you are put underwater with all your scuba gear on, the instructor yanks your regulator out of your mouth, he ties your air hose in knots, he mocks you constantly as you struggle for air. What your mind is naturally telling you at this point is simple: You are going to die, but if you want to pass “pool comp,” you have to calmly follow all protocol to pass. It’s not hard to see why there’s a 94 percent attrition rate. Those who pass had to overcome some seemingly impossible barriers.  

We can survive the obstacles even when life is hard. Of course, we can throw in the towel and never attempt anything—but God expects us to take control of our own lives and trust Him. It can be hard to put into practice, but all negative experiences are opportunities to learn and take control of our own lives. Have you listened to many of the stories of people that have become successful in life? Usually, they came from humble beginnings, and, against all odds, they overcame their situations. 

We all, at times, experience circumstances that create obstacles that block our ability to believe what God has promised in His word. James 1:6-7 says, “But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.”

God has called each of us into service. You will have failures, obstacles, rejection, disappointment, hindrances, difficulties, and refusal. Don’t let anything stop you from becoming the person God created you to be.

Discussion Questions: 

  1. How do you anticipate the barriers you may face when planning? 
  2. How do we better trust God to overcome those barriers?