Study from God’s Word… Ezra, Chapters 4 – 6 … Passage for Reflection: Ezra 5: 5 … NIV But the eye of their God was watching over the elders of the Jews, and they were not stopped until a report could go to Darius and his written reply be received.
My Journal for Today: Today LaGard Smith, the author of my daily devotional book, The Daily Bible Devotional, directed me to a U.S. dollar note [go get one to see his illustration]; and Dr. Smith noted on the green side of this greenback there is a depiction of a pyramid with an “all seeing eye” with the words “annuit coeptis,” which in Latin means “He is favorable to our undertaking.” The eye on the bill is referred to as God’s “eye of providence;” and the ACLU must hate this depiction which honors God and recognizes that it is God Who watches over our land with His providence becomes the direction of our nation.
In today’s devotional text we read the author of the book of Ezra making a comment, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, that it was God’s eye Who was watching over the elders of the Jews in those days; and in today’s precarious and troubled times, that is a position we certainly would like to take in faith. Hence the depiction on the one-dollar bill becomes something we should probably put in our Bibles as a bookmark, reminding us to have faith in the ever watchful and ever faithful “eye of God,” Who is always there to watch over His remnant; and Who will, as He did in those times of Temple rebuilding, watch over His children and do whatever He must and will to bring about His good purposes.
Hence, as the motto of our nation appears – to the right of the “eye of providence” – saying, “IN GOD WE TRUST,” … we need to have absolute faith that God not only sees what is going on during these troubling times, but He is working, just as He did in the times of Ezra, to bring about His good and perfect will. Hence we should believe in and live by the instructions of such passages in God’s word as Deut. 31: 6, Prov. 3: 5 – 6, and Romans 8: 28. And I hope you know and recognize what is being said in these passages by God for the rebuilding of our walls of faith.
And another reason to have a dollar bill in our Bibles as a bookmark was also brought out by Dr. Smith today in his devotional entry. We so often want to put our faith in the dollar bill (or stacks of them) rather than in our mighty God Whose eye of providence watches over us. So Dr. Smith puts his daily dig of a question out there for our consideration, as he writes, ”If I am facing some difficult challenge in my life, how can I not be wonderfully encouraged by knowing that my God is watching over me?”
Take out a dollar bill and meditate on that in conjunction with the Scripture passages I referred you to above; and I know you will – as I am – lifted up by their collective truths.
My Prayer for Today: O Lord, may I always know you watch over me. Amen
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