Ezra 8:21-23
‘Then I proclaimed a fast there at the river of Ahava, to 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 horsemento 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 who seek Him, but His power and His anger are against all those who abandon Him.” So we fasted and sought our God concerning this matter, and He listened to our pleading.’
Such an exciting, but scary moment. They have to travel from Babylon to Jerusalem. That’s a lot of miles. This is on foot. But their concern is safety. There are bandits and robbers along the way. They probably have some jewels and precious stones for the temple.
Ezra has rightly been bragging about God to the king. So he feels awkward to ask for protection from him. So, he gathers the people together to humble themselves and fast and pray about this. This is great. This is how all of us are to behave as we face a difficulty.
I Peter 5:7 says, “Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.” How do we do that? We set apart some time, sit down and pray. We give it to Him. Sit in His presence and call out to Him. Let Him minister to us. He will give us His peace. We’ve given it to Him. We can walk away from our time praising Him that He’s got it. We still haven’t entered into our time of concern, but we can praise and thank Him as if He has already dealt with it.
We demonstrate our faith in Him by thanking and praising Him. Fears might creep in again. Then praise Him by faith. Go back to our prayer closet and bring it back to Him. Some times we go through seasons where this is necessary. It may be weeks or months before there is a resolution. Walk with Him in faith.
This is what Jesus meant in Matthew 11:29, “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” When we go to Him in prayer, we are yoking ourselves up with Him. That’s why we feel that rest. He takes the lions share of the burden.
Thank You, Lord, that You want us to go to You with our burdens. Thank You, that You help. In the mean time You give us Your peace and You answer us and resolve our situation according to You will. Thank You!