Rise Up! Lessons From Ezra On Walking With Your Head Held HighIsampula

The last time we saw Ezra, he was laid out flat, knocked to the ground. In the midst of his hurt and despair, he is confronted with these words: Rise up. Take courage. Go do it. 

Then, we read, “So Ezra rose up...” (Ezra 10:5, NIV). 

With four powerful, poignant words, Ezra rose to his feet. Simply rising up can be one of the hardest things to do after you’ve been knocked down. Getting back on your feet takes monumental effort. Standing up and moving forward in your life is hard work. 

One of the most famous passages in the Bible is tucked away in Isaiah 40. Get your highlighter ready because this is good stuff:

O Jacob, how can you say the Lord does not see your troubles?
O Israel, how can you say God ignores your rights?
Have you never heard?
Have you never understood?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of all the earth.
He never grows weak or weary.
No one can measure the depths of his understanding.
He gives power to the weak
and strength to the powerless.
Even youths will become weak and tired,
and young men will fall in exhaustion.
But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength.
They will soar high on wings like eagles.
They will run and not grow weary.
They will walk and not faint (Isaiah 40:27-31). 

I’ve heard more sermons and read more articles than I can count about soaring on eagles’ wings. There is so much strength and power in the soaring. But I wonder if God isn’t most honored in the walking—the difficult task of putting one foot in front of the other when you’ve been knocked out, dragged down, or simply feel like you just don’t have the energy to continue moving forward. There is a different kind of strength and power found in leaning into the Lord who will not let us faint as we just keep walking. 

When you feel weak and tired, exhausted and weary, you can find strength in the Lord. Rise up. Stand to your feet. Trust the Lord, in whom you will find new strength. Stretch one foot out. Now the other. Get ready to walk out of some of the challenges of life. 

Rise up from your past mistakes.
Rise up from your present hurts.
Rise up from your current heartbreak.
Rise up from your stagnant life.
Rise up.