Devotional
for the Week—9 April 2007
Fasting:
Success For The Journey
Ezra
8:21-23
Ezra
and the Israelites, who were exiled with him to Babylon during
the reign of King Artaxerxes, were returning to Jerusalem. In
those days, travelling was not that safe. For Ezra and the Israelites,
this was especially so as they were carrying gold, silver and
precious items. There was a real possibility that they could be
attacked and robbed and Ezra was very aware of this. Today’s
passage records Ezra’s instructions to the Israelites to
fast and pray that God would give them a safe journey and protection
for their children and the treasures they were carrying. In another
passage of scripture, we are told that King Jehoshaphat, terrified
of the huge army that was marching against his kingdom, ordered
all in Judah to begin fasting. We can learn many things from Ezra
and King Jehoshaphat.
1.
Our response to situations is crucial
Right
from the start of the journey, Ezra was aware of the dangers they
would face and could have asked for armed escorts. However, the
Bible tells us that he chose not to as he did not want to give
King Artaxerxes the impression that God could not protect His
own. Ezra chose to turn to the Lord for help.
How
do we react today to warnings? We are told that 52 warnings were
issued to the US Aviation Authority about the terrorist plans
on September 11 but no precautions were taken. What warnings have
you received and have you turned to the Lord for help the way
Ezra and King Jehoshaphat had?
2.
Preparation is necessary when facing tough situations
Both
Ezra and King Jehoshaphat assembled all the people and ordered
them to fast and pray BEFORE the expected danger arrived. What
preparations do you make when you anticipate a tough situation
ahead?
3,
Trust the Lord even when it seems illogical
Ezra
had 1,500 men carrying 24 tons of silver, 7500 pounds of silver
artefacts and the same weight in gold. They were trekking 900
miles over 4 months and had no armed escorts. King Jehoshaphat
was facing a huge army. Both Ezra and King Jehoshaphat chose to
have their men fast and pray. From the world’s perspective,
their decisions to physically weaken their resources at a time
when they should have been building them up would not have made
sense!
From
the Biblical perspective, however, it made perfect sense. Although
they were depleting their physical resources through fasting,
they were concurrently stocking up their spiritual resources through
dependence on God, and not on themselves, for sustenance. In Matthew
4:4, Jesus tells us that man does not live on bread alone but
on every word that comes from the mouth of God. We should also
know that our God is sovereign over everything and it is God who
fights our battles.
4.
Fasting builds faith that fuels prayer
When
we fast, we abandon ourselves to God and give Him control. This
essentially means that we push aside our own plans of how we want
to handle the situation on-hand, and seek God’s way instead.
This is born out of faith that believes His plans are always the
best plans, although this may not appear to be so in our individual
microscopic worlds at the time. Having such faith will inevitably
result in closer communion with Him though prayer and intercession.
5.
Fasting is not a method to get God to hear us
Fasting
is a discipline that fosters dependence and faith. When Ezra and
the Israelites were fasting, they were also earnestly praying
to God for His help. If fasting is done for the wrong reasons,
it will achieve nothing. Ezra and Jehoshaphat fasted because they
knew that focussing on God would help their situations. Fasting
enabled them to decrease self-reliance and surrender their wills
to God. They knew that short of God, nothing could help them in
their dire straits.
To conclude, we are all living out life’s journey which
is a big and, at times, daunting task. As Christians, we need
to be prepared to face life’s challenges. The process of
fasting and praying benefit our souls as they foster attitudes
of dependence on God and submission to His sovereignty. When we
do this, we can be sure that God will act on our prayers in His
own perfect time, just as He had done in the cases of Ezra and
King Jehoshaphat.
Prayer Response: Dear God, thank you for today’s message.
I pray for determination and discipline to spend time everyday
learning about You so that when tough situations hit me, I know
that I can turn to You in faith and be assured that my reliance
on You will not be in vain, and You will carry me through according
to Your good and perfect plans. Amen.
Devotional
based on a sermon by Rev. Joel Yong