²¹ Then I proclaimed a fast there at the river Ahava, so that we might humble ourselves before our God to seek from Him a safe journey for us, our children, and all our possessions. ²² For I was ashamed to request troops and horsemen from the king to protect us from the enemy along the way, because we had told the king, “The hand of our God is favorable toward all those who seek Him, but His power and His anger are against all those who abandon (turn away from) Him.” ²³ So we fasted and sought [help from] our God concerning this [matter], and He heard our plea. 

Ezra 8: 21-23 (AMP)

The final problem

Everyone is assembled and they’re ready to take off on the long journey. Ezra realizes that they have a problem – they’ve got loads of treasure and no protection from bandits. He didn’t want to ask the king, out of shame – lest he weaken God’s name in the eyes of the king. Ezra had testified boldly about God’s power so it would have been a bad testimony to ask the king for help. He was pretty bold to “put his money where his mouth is” and not ask the king.

Most important preparation

In response, he leads the congregation in a fast – on the spot. What a wonderful solution to the problem. He recognized God’s hand in all of the proceedings so far and they humbled themselves and called to God to continue to show favor. Can you imagine the joy and pleasure this brought to God?

What if?

What if they didn’t humble themselves and fast? Would God still have protected them? Probably, but we don’t know to what extent. Does it matter? What matters is they sought the Lord. This pleased Him. 

God hears

God heard their prayer. We’ll see the results in 2 days. Read ahead if you want. Suffice it to say that when we humble ourselves and seek the Lord, He hears our prayers. James 5:16b NLT encourages us: “The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.” Fasting adds a dimension to our prayer. It’s a way to humble ourselves and give dedicated time to pray and seek His face. Do you fast? Add a comment with how and what you’ve learned. Here are some ideas on fasting.