Get up!

This morning the Lord sent me to the book of Ezra, one that I can admit to not having studied much at all. He showed me that there came a point when Ezra had cried out for the people for long enough and it was time for him to take action. In chapter 9, he prayed and cried about the guilt and sin of the people for marrying foreigners and forsaking what The Lord had done for them. But in chapter 10, He showed me how he brought it to an end. While Ezra was weeping and praying in front of the Temple, a crowd of people surrounded him, watching his distress and they felt convicted. They began to weep with him when one of the leaders, Shecaniah came forward and acknowledged that Ezra was right for his despair and that the people needed help. He said, “We have been unfaithful to our God, for we have married these pagan women of the land. But in spite of this there is hope for Israel.  Let us now make a covenant with our God to divorce our pagan wives and to send them away with their children. We will follow the advice given by you and by the others who respect the commands of our God. Let it be done according to the Law of God. Get up, for it is your duty to tell us how to proceed in setting things straight. We are behind you, so be strong and take action.” (Ezra 10:2-4 NLT) It is verse 4 that the Lord used to bring me to this chapter in the first place! Read it again!

“Get up, for it is your duty to tell us how to proceed in setting things straight. We are behind you, so be strong and take action.”

Do you see what happened? Shecaniah gave Ezra a wakeup call. He basically told him that while he was not responsible for the sins of the people, he was responsible for bringing them out of it.  Mam! Sir! You are responsible for bringing people out of the situations that God has been speaking to you about and showing you over the last few months and even years. You have a duty to stop crying over the generational cycle that your family has been in and do something about it. You have a duty to stop worrying about the young men that you’ve seen dying left and right and do something about it. You have a duty to stop watching people die under dead preaching and teaching and do something about it!

This is what the Lord said for me to share this morning and I will end with it. It’s time, folks!

Thus says the Lord: Rise up! Rise up, daughter! Rise up, son! It's time to stop weeping and worrying and do what I have said. There are people watching and waiting on you to go forward with what I have I said. You have wavered long enough, wondering if people would like you or agree with you if you did what I said. The time for that is over. It is now time to get up and be about My business. Rise up from your mourning bench! Rise up from your sick bed! Rise up from your hard place! Rise up from your depression! Rise up from your place of struggle! Rise up from your place of transition! I've moved you and now it's time to start acting like it."

Amen.