Sweeter Than Honey: Fasting and Praying for Protection

From the Old Testament to the New, the eternality of God's Word is clearly proclaimed: 

Job tells us, “I have treasured the Words of His mouth more than my portion of food” (Job 23:12). 

Isaiah reminds us that, “The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the Word of our God endures forever” (Isaiah 40:8). 

And Matthew records Jesus saying, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My Words will never pass away” (Matthew 24:35).

God's Word is like an eternal Love Letter to us!

​Have you ever received a love letter, friend? Did you read it? Did you read it just once, or did you read it over and over again? A Love Letter is a treasure when you love the One who sent it!

How would you like to read through God's Love Letter—His Word, the Bible, with a group of like-minded, Christian girlfriends? We're doing that over in the private, Sweeter Than Honey, Facebook group. Did you know you don't have to start a Bible reading plan on January 1? You can begin today! This simple plan, and an accountability partner, will help you succeed. Who will be your accountability partner? Share this post with them and invite them to the private Facebook group.

JOIN THE PRIVATE SWEETER THAN HONEY FACEBOOK GROUP

Sweeter Than Honey is patterned after this Bible Reading Itinerary. On Tuesdays, here at the blog, I would love it if you and I could take a trip through God's Word and Sweeter Than Honey, together! I would also encourage you to Join us over in the private, Sweeter Than Honey, Facebook group, introduce yourself, meet new friends, and share your thoughts there as well. We're waiting for you!

Ezra 8-10: Fasting and Praying for Protection

Ezra is making his way from captivity in Babylon, with a group of returning exiles, back to Jerusalem. It took Ezra and the caravan he was traveling with four months to traverse the nearly 900 miles. Before their journey, Ezra leads the group of returning exiles in fasting and praying.

“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. For I was ashamed to ask the king for a band of soldiers and horsemen to protect us against the enemy on our way, since we had told the king, ‘The hand of our God is for good on all who seek Him, and the power of His wrath is against all who forsake Him.’ So we fasted and implored our God for this, and He listened to our entreaty.” (Ezra 8:21-23)

Ezra not only proclaims a time of fasting and praying, but he also leads the people in humbling themselves before God as they seek safety for their long journey. These weren’t just a group of men, the caravan included families—wives, children, mothers, fathers, and all their possessions.

Ezra told King Artaxerxes that the group did not need his army of protections for the journey, “since we had told the king, ‘The hand of our God is for good on all who seek Him, and the power of His wrath is against all who forsake Him’” (8:22). So, the group fasted and asked God for protection, and God heard them. After fasting and praying, the caravan departed. Verse 31 records that the hand of God was on them and that He delivered them from the hand of their enemy and from ambushes along the way.

“Then we departed from the river Ahava on the twelfth day of the first month, to go to Jerusalem. The hand of our God was on us, and He delivered us from the hand of the enemy and from ambushes by the way.” (Ezra 8:31)

What is it that you need the hand of God over in your life today? Have you prayed about it? Have you fasted? We are so quick to head over to social media and ask our friends to pray about a particular need. Yet, we ourselves have not prayed about that need, let alone fasted. 

Tell us what you will be fasting and/or praying about today.

About Sweeter Than Honey

When I read God’s Word each morning, I find inspiration and insight that keeps my day on track. Join me on this journey. Let’s settle in with His Word—it’s His Love Letter to us. Did you know that? Let’s read it like a love letter, expecting to glean something for our walk with Him every day. Let’s look for peace in the chaos and strength for our weaknesses. Even on our busiest days we can carve out a few minutes to refocus on the important—the eternal. Can’t we? We may have to get up a little earlier, when the house is still and quiet, or stay up a few minutes after the others are all tucked in for the night, but we can do this! I know we can.

Let's be intentional about focusing on God’s Word and the truths found there. Let's let it inspire us to live out our faith each day in a way that causes those we come in contact with to want what we have found. God sees you. He knows you by name, He knows the number of hairs on your head, and He cares about every detail of your daily existence. He wrote you a Love Letter. Let’s dive in!

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