A. a miracle goal by Diego Maradona (Argentina v England, June 22, 1986)
B. a rescue move in kayaking, in which the rescuer reaches across an upside-down kayak, grabs the cockpit rim, and rolls the kayak upright.
C. an obvious anointing/calling/empowering from the Lord God, as in the case of the prophet Ezra.
Sorry, I couldn’t find a picture of Ezra. Apparently someone forgot to put fresh batteries in the camera that day.
Even without pictorial evidence, I’m going with C.
I read Ezra 7-8 today as part of the LifeJournal (love that LifeJournal!) Chapter 7 begins (vs 6) with a description of Ezra, stating that the king (Artaxerxes) of Persia gave Ezra everything he asked for because the gracious hand of the Lord his God was on him.
Ezra had taken on a monumental task. He was going back to Jerusalem, taking priests, Levites, singers, gatekeepers, and Temple servants with him. The Temple had been rebuilt, but the work was far from over. Ezra wanted to beautify the Temple, and to teach the nation of Israel the Law of God.
He wanted to disciple a nation.
There’s no doubt that Ezra was a great man. He was a descendant of the original high priest (Aaron), was a student of the Law of God, even to the point of being called a scribe. He was capable of leading 1500 men (slaves) back to Jerusalem from Babylon. He was a leader. He was incredibly courageous and wicked smart.
But his success didn’t find its roots in his skill set. See his words:
I felt encouraged because the gracious hand of the Lord my God was on me. And I gathered some of the leaders of Israel to return with me to Jerusalem. Ezra 7:28
He goes on to tell his story, one that includes a call to fast and pray for God to protect and provide for them on their journey. He is quick to point out that it was the Hand of God that brought the right men for the trip, and got them safely to Jerusalem.
I’d love to be a multi-talented leader. I have worked hard to develop skills, to hone talents. I’ve been to leadership conferences, read books, listened to teaching after teaching in an effort to become a better leader.
But if the Hand of God isn’t on me, then all I have is ME. And I’ve come to realize that ME is not enough.
So while I will continue to work hard to become a better ME, I’m going to be begging the Good God to place his Gracious Hand on me. I want to be part of something bigger than ME, something that is lasting, something eternal, something monumental. I want to have a God-sized dream.
ME will never be able to accomplish God-sized tasks–like discipling a nation. But if the gracious hand of the Lord my God is on me…well then, that’s something all-together different, now isn’t it?
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