Ezra 8:31 “The hand of our God was on us, and he protected us from enemies and bandits along the way. So we arrived in Jerusalem…” Watch Your Step ! The book of Ezra tells the story of the Jews returning to Jerusalem after having been in captivity in Babylon. They had a great journey ahead of them, and as Ezra looked out at the journey, he saw many potential threats along the way, specifically thieves and bandits. Ezra and his people would be traveling with their wives, children, and all of their possessions. During their time of captivity in Babylon, most had grown quite wealthy. They had treasures, gold, silver, as well as the sacred items of the temple, all in their possession. Ezra said that there were, …25 tons of silver; 100 silver articles weighing 150 pounds; 7500 pounds of gold… among other precious items. The threat of attack was acute and imminent. Ezra was troubled. He rightly weighed the dangers and found themselves lacking. His response was to declare a corporate fast. Ezra 8:21 - 23 Then I proclaimed a fast there at the river of Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God to seek from Him a safe journey for us, our little ones, and all our possessions. For I was ashamed to request from the king troops and horsemen to protect us from the enemy on the way, because we had said to the king, The hand of our God is favorably disposed to all those who seek Him, but His power and His anger are against all those who forsake Him. So we fasted and sought our God concerning this matter, and He listened to our entreaty. John 10:10 tells us that we, too, have a thief waiting to steal, kill and destroy us, our little ones, and our possessions. Without Gods protection, we can easily fall into bondage of fear, worry and anxiety. Our typical response is to try to solve it ourselves before asking for the Holy Spirits aid. We revert to brainstorming, counsel from peers, strategies, or hours of worry. One of the lessons that Ezra shows us is that fasting can be called upon to partner with God through a critical period. Today, lets face our problems by first calling out to God in prayer, being supported by the commitment of our fast. Lets ask God specifically to cover us in protection. Protection over the major decisions we need to make, over our health, over our families, over our church and over our finances. God supernaturally covered Ezra, and He hasnt changed. He will meet you as you fast and pray to bring about solutions and coverage to our problems. From the Antioch Church, Dallas, Texas
Posted on: Mon, 12 Jan 2015 01:38:34 +0000