Be joyful - God provides!

Chapter six of Ezra also teaches us that we should find joy in the fact that God provides for us. Yesterday, we studied more of the providential care He sends; we saw that He can move circumstances and even the hearts of rulers to carry out His purposes.
Today, let's look at the material provisions that He sends.

Why do you suppose that Tattenai and his minions diligently carried out the king's decree? Was it because they thought it was the best idea ever? They thought it was awesome for these former slaves to return and re-establish the temple and the surrounding city? Because of the goodness of their hearts? Well, they just may have been pretty mellow, "you're my brother" kind of people, but the main reason that I see for their cooperation was in the king's decree -- they didn't like to think about the alternative:

Furthermore, I decree that if anyone defies this edict, a beam is to be pulled from their house and they are to be impaled on it. And for this crime their house is to be made a pile of rubble. (Ezra 6:11)

Pretty effective motivation, eh?
I think so!
Darius set the punishment high. And God also used Darius to provide the materials for the temple. He moved the king to provide the animals and other items for the sacrifices, too.
You see, King Darius was trying, as we say today, to "cover all the bases." He wanted to appease and please YAHWEH by providing materially for the temple. He was in the habit of asking all the people in the lands that he conquered to pray to their gods on behalf of him and his sons.  So he asked that of the Jewish people, as well. (v 10)
God used the king's superstitions to provide for His people!
I don't guess that the Lord routinely uses pagan governments as the main source of material support for His church. But He can. However, He provides, whether through tax breaks from the government (for charitable, non-profit organizations) or through generous giving of believers and unbelievers alike, it is God Who provides for His church.
It's our responsibility to wait upon Him through faith and prayer. And when we see God's provision, we should show our joy.
Paul sets an example for us in II Corinthians. In his letter, he is bubbling with enthusiasm - the Macedonians have made a generous gift for their brothers and sisters in Christ, the poor Christians in Jerusalem. Paul points out that when we give generously, we not only meet the needs of others, but we cause overflowing thanksgiving to God, and the result is that God is glorified:

This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of the Lord’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. 13 Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, others will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else. (II Corinthians 9:12-13)

We can rejoice daily in how the work of the church is provided for, and we can also rejoice in how He provides for our personal needs. There are approximately 170 verses in the Bible that tell of the ways that God provides for us. (Hmmm, maybe there's a study there for us!)
Philippians 4 puts it very succinctly:

And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus. (v 19)

Prosperity-seekers may be always looking for more money or fancier possessions to arrive, but we should take a closer look at what He desires to provide for us.....

Do we think we are good parents or siblings? Providing well for the needs of those we love? God is the Best. Parent. Ever. He never gives us what He knows would harm us, and His purpose is to help us develop Christlikeness. We should not perceive Him as a heavenly source of material possessions because acquiring things is just not the fundamental goal of this life!

God differentiates between our needs and our wants because as He tells us, where our treasure is, our heart is also (Matthew 6:21). This world is, after all, not our home; our focus should be on eternal life, even as we are living this mortal one.

As the Best Parent, God is focused on every part of our being -- spirit, soul, and body, too. The ways that He provides for us are beyond anything we can ask or imagine:

  Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. (Ephesians 3:20-21)

His guidance and shepherding care will do more for us that we can ever achieve on our own. He encourages us to seek Him in an intimate, obedient relationship through conversation (prayer) and submission. Our dependence on Him is affirmed each time that we pray:

Give us today our daily bread. (Matthew 6:11)

And He told us not to worry about food or clothing; He knows our needs!

Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?  (Matthew 6:25)

Long before Christ walked on this earth, Jeremiah pointed to the covenant relationship that God desires:

For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. (Jeremiah 31:33)

And the way to have that relationship (and His provision) is by seeking first His kingdom and righteousness:

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. (Matthew 6:33)

The Psalmist notes the part we play in God's provision, too:

For the Lord God is a sun and shield;    the Lord bestows favor and honor;no good thing does he withhold    from those whose walk is blameless. (Psalm 84:11)

(Other translations say it, "those who walk uprightly." Either way, this is a good reminder of the role we play in God's providing for us.
As we have seen, many of these verses relate to the daily, physical needs of life. There are others that refer to the needs of our soul and spirit. I hope you will take a few moments and look these up and read them aloud for encouragement:
1. He provides us with comfort (II Corinthians 1:4)
2. He provides peace (John 14:27)
3. He provides power and self discipline (II Timothy 1:7)
4. He provides love (I John 4:9-11)
We even have the assurance that His love and direction in our lives began before conception! What a gift to know that He's been involved and loved us from the very start!

But when God, who set me apart from my mother’s womb and called me by his grace, was pleased... (Galatians 1:15)

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,    before you were born I set you apart;
    I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” (Jeremiah 1:5)

Even God's creation, which is dependent upon Him, proves to us that He provides.

He made the moon to mark the seasons,    and the sun knows when to go down. You bring darkness, it becomes night,    and all the beasts of the forest prowl. The lions roar for their prey    and seek their food from God. The sun rises, and they steal away;    they return and lie down in their dens.
 Then people go out to their work,    to their labor until evening. How many are your works, Lord!    In wisdom you made them all;    the earth is full of your creatures. (Psalm 104:19-24)

The sun that comes up every morning, the rain that falls, the breezes that refresh us . . . all of these are things that our loving God provides for us.

Rejoice in His providing for us!