#soap # Ezra 05 ## Title: The Lord Is There In The Middle of Trouble ## Scripture: (Ezra 5:5) “But God was watching over the elders of Judah, and they were not stopped until a report could be dispatched to Darius and a letter could be sent back concerning this.” (NET) ## Observation: The nation of Israel is surrounded by enemies and those who want to stop the rebuilding of the Temple. Even in this moment, after they are encouraged by the Word of the Lord to start building again, they are still in the middle of trouble. However, the Bible says that the Lord was with them so that they were able to continue doing His will. I think this verse is a blessing for anyone who thinks that once God tells you to do something there is no longer any friction. Many times, that is when the friction begins. It’s also worth saying that they moved forward, not knowing if they would be able to finish. That’s all we can do. We move forward with the grace we have in the time we have. Then, we trust the Lord to do the rest. Maybe it is for us to finish the work or maybe it is for us to only get started. Only the Lord knows. He is with us in the middle of the trouble. ## Application: Trust the Lord and take the next step. Let Him be in charge of all the steps after that. ## Prayer: Thank You, Jesus, for knowing the whole story.