A good kind of shame

“I was ashamed to ask the king for a band of soldiers and horsemen to protect us.” Ezra 8:22

Ezra boasted about his God to King Artaxerxes. When it was time for the people to set out on the long journey home, the boast was put to the test. What enemies might they encounter on the way? Would it not be safer to go with a royal escort? Undoubtedly it would be more dangerous to do so! For it would put God’s name in jeopardy in the courts of Babylon, and such a thing is never to be ventured.

It would not be a bad thing to see more of this kind of shame among Christians. Are we even apprehensive, never mind ashamed, to rely on human means before the mighty promises of God? Many ministries are not, it seems, ashamed to do so. This passage isn’t about the question of physical defense as such; it’s about the heart-posture of the Christian. Do we defy all earthly odds when there’s a clear promise of God on our side? That’s the time to open your eyes wide and watch for the miraculous hand of the living God to appear.