So we fasted and besought our God for this: and he was intreated of us.
(Ezra 8:23 KJV)
The song Killing Me Softly caught my attention the other day as I wondered why these lyrics are so emotional. As I researched this song's writer, I realized that Lori Lieberman jotted the lyrics while watching Don Mclean perform Empty Chairs. The powerful lyrics of Killing Me Softly, sung by Roberta Flack, create a metaphor in our lives that circ*mstances can cause devastation resulting in a soft demise of our existence. Notice these lyrics below:
Strumming my pain with his fingers
Singing my life with his words
Killing me softly with his song
Killing me softly with his song
Telling my whole life with his words
Killing me softly
With his song
The sadness that the writer associated with the performance of Empty Chairs contributed to the penned emotions in Killing Me Softly. However, the song represents a period of ongoing emotional turmoil that sometimes reduces life's enjoyment. Nevertheless, Ezra 8:23 provides a simple solution when life’s hurdles become problematic. Here the former exiled of Israel under Ezra’s leadership decided to exercise a simple spiritual practice of fasting and praying to overcome life’s hurdles. Likewise, the believer of today must realize that they can tap into the same source instead of seeking resources to find life’s solutions.
The other day, my goddaughter asked for gas money to get to work. After helping her, I asked her the difference between a source and a resource. She texted the following answer: I THINK sources are the tools for obtaining and gathering information. In contrast, resources help us navigate the tool we need to receive it. While I agree somewhat with her answer, how often do we ask God for something without having a secondary plan to save us if God fails to come through?
In our passage above, Ezra felt shameful for inquiring about assistance from King Artaxerxes. Ezra needed to secure a military escort for the 2000 exiled Israelites as they traveled 720 miles to Jerusalem by caravan with cargo valued at $30 million through hostile territory. What Ezra did should give us confidence when facing life’s hurdles today. Ezra placed God as his only source and excluded any backup plan by asking the King for a military escort as a secondary resource. Trusting God assures us that God will provide in ways we cannot imagine. Ezra knew this and exercised his faith by fasting and praying that God would provide a way, even if it were not the way he expected. The results of fasting and praying guided Ezra to use internal assistance within his control instead of requesting external assistance outside his control. Using King Artaxerxes’ army as protection would consider an external resource, and this resource would minimize the credit toward God. When Ezra used unskilled soldiers like priests for protection, all credit was reserved for God alone. When we rely on God as the source to resolve our situation, God and only God will receive glory.
Remember, our reliance must rest on the source instead of different resources at our deposal. Yet, when exercising fasting and praying, the source will reveal guidance that will include a plan of reliance on God as the only source of intervention. In other words, God will receive all the credit for the outcome of your situation. So, ask yourself, when was the last time you tapped into the SOURCE to receive an intervention plan when life seemed as killing you softly?
