Ezra 8
“Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God, to seek from him a safe journey for ourselves, our children, and all our goods.” (Ezra 8:21, ESV)
Ezra had gathered the exiles to return to Jerusalem. When he found that there were no Levites among them he sent for certain leaders who had influence with the Levites. Ezra pressed them to send ministers for the house of God. They were able to secure 38 Levites and 220 temple servants to make the journey. Ezra and his entourage were also carrying great treasure with them for the temple. They would be making a 900 mile journey through areas known to be infested with bandits.
Early in our marriage, Cindy and I decided to go to Disneyland with another young couple who were friends of ours. Rather than flying into Orange County airport, we thought we would save money by flying into Los Angeles. This meant renting a car and driving about an hour at night to Anaheim. I mapped out what seemed to be the shortest route. Everything was fine until we drove through probably the roughest area in L.A. county. It seemed that we hit every red light, with gang members staring us down at every intersection. We made it safely to our destination, but by popular vote I was relieved from my duties as navigator!
Ezra had the job of taking 1,772 men plus women, children and treasure on a journey through dangerous territory. He knew that they needed God’s help. The problem was that Ezra had told King Artaxerxes that God’s hand of protection was on everyone who worshiped Him. Therefore they didn’t need a military escort.
What do you do when you find yourself in a dangerous situation where you cannot depend upon any human help? You pray…and if you are like Ezra, you pray and fast!
What is the purpose of fasting anyway? It is not to twist God’s arm to give us what we want. It is denying ourselves the appetites of the flesh for a period of time so that we can focus on the things of the Spirit. It puts us more in tune with spiritual things so that we can pray in faith according to the will of God. When we have major decisions, when we encounter great forces of spiritual opposition, or when we just need to discern more clearly the will of God, then prayer and fasting is an effective weapon against the enemy and a necessary tool for building the kingdom of God.
Ezra proclaimed a fast at the river Ahava so that they would all humble themselves and seek God’s protection and help for their journey. God answered their prayer, and they all made it safely to Jerusalem with no loss of their goods.
As I look around at the world today and even the state of the church, I realize that we need a great move of God. We need Him to pull down strongholds of evil and pour out His Spirit on His people so that we can be fully consecrated to Him. I don’t know how to bring this about except through prayer, and if we’re really serious, prayer and fasting. God is able to do far more than we ask or think, but He does require us to earnestly seek Him with all our hearts and all our souls.