Has prayer and fasting become our first response or our last resort?

3 Day Fasting challenge: Fruits and Vegetables

The Importance of Prayer and Fasting 

Ezra 8:21+23

V21 There, by the Ahava Canal, I proclaimed a fast, so that we might humble ourselves before our God and ask him for a safe journey for us and our children, with all our possessions. V23 So we fasted and petitioned our God about this, and he answered our prayer.

Ezra was commissioned to lead more than four thousand Jews back to the Promised Land. He was on a mission to repair the temple in Jerusalem that had been destroyed. Talk about a lot of pressure! Ezra knew that the journey was not going to be easy, so he called the people, young and old, to pray and fast.

First, Ezra knew that he would need to pray for safety in order to take that many people through dangerous territory. Secondly, he knew he would need to pray for protection as he would be taking all the money with him to make the repairs. 

How incredible that before they ever set out on their journey, their first response was to pray and fast. How often do we wait until we are in the middle of a problem before we pray and fast? Has prayer and fasting become our first response or our last resort?

God answered Ezra’s prayer and honored his faith.

1. Ezra 8:31 The hand of our God was on us, and he protected us from enemies and bandits along the way.
2. Ezra 8:34 Everything was accounted for by number and weight, and the entire weight was recorded at that time. 

As you continue on this fast, remember that the God we serve today is the same God from the days of Ezra. Rest assured that if He has honored the prayers of others, He will be faithful to honor you.

Prayer: Lord, protect me and my family from dangers that we are not aware of and keep us safe in the future. Amen.

Written by: Jackie Wilson

Categorised in: Uncategorized

This post was written by Neo Church