Then I proclaimed a fast there at the river of Ahava, to humble ourselves before our God, to seek from Him a safe journey for us, our little ones, and all our possessions. For I was ashamed to request from the king troops and horsemen to protect us from the enemy on the way, because we had said to the king, “The hand of our God is favorably disposed to all who seek Him, but His power and His anger are against all those who abandon Him.” So we fasted and sought our God concerning this matter, and He listened to our pleading. Then I selected twelve of the leading priests: Sherebiah, Hashabiah, and with them ten of their brothers; and I weighed out to them the silver, the gold, and the utensils, the offering for the house of our God which the king, his counselors, his officials, and all Israel who were present there had contributed. … Then we journeyed from the river Ahava on the twelfth of the first month to go to Jerusalem; and the hand of our God was upon us, and He rescued us from the hand of the enemy and the ambushes by the road. So we came to Jerusalem and remained there for three days.

Ezra 8:21-25;31-32

You are probably hearing a lot about delivery right now, as we have throughout this whole year. Delivering food, basic goods and groceries, and now gifts has been important to people’s lives during this year of strange changes and upsets. It might be easy to forget that word has another meaning.

God is someone who delivers. He delivers on his promises; when He tells us He will do something, He comes through.

God delivers on our petitions before Him. He knows what we need and wants to fulfill those needs.

God delivers us safely through hard times. Those who trust in Him and use the things he gives us to succeed with prudence and patience will be saved in this life and the next.

God delivers on his commitment to community; we have us! The church is here to support and uplift one another and to help each other, spiritually and materially, through hard times.

In all the ways that matter, God is the one who really delivers!

Ethan Kirl

Originally Published December 14, 2020