This chapter describes the assembly of Israelites who accompanied Ezra to Jerusalem.
“Then I proclaimed a fast… that we might humble ourselves before our God, to seek from him a safe journey… 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…” So we fasted and implored our God for this, and he listened to our entreaty.” (v21-23 abr)
Ezra and his assembly fast and pray for God’s protection on their journey, because after describing God to the king, he didn’t think asking for guards would be fitting. Since Ezra and the people humble themselves, and approach God with a correct posture, God grants their request for safety.
How do we approach God with our requests? Is it very casually: “Hey God, it’d be awesome if You’d help me out here”? Or, do we take our requests very seriously: posturing ourselves, fasting, praying, and approaching God with a truly humble heart? God wants us to make all of our requests known to Him (Php 4:6) but there are ways in which we can approach Him that give Him more honor.
– Reverence: Let’s recognize God for who He is – All-Powerful Creator and Sovereign Lord of the universe
– Humility: Let’s recognize who we are, the broken, sinful beings who cannot flawlessly keep our covenants with God.
– Desire: Let’s recognize what it is we truly want, and if what we’re asking is for God’s glory or our own.
– Sincerity: Let’s recognize our posture and how it aligns with what we’re requesting. Fasting is a posture of sincerity, showing just how serious we are about this request / prayer.
– Posture: Let’s recognize our physical posture too. Are we in a distraction-rich environment when we talk to God? Let’s put away the smart phone and find a quiet, distraction-free place to kneel (if safely able to do so) before Him.
I suggest that the next time we request something from God, we take it very seriously, like Ezra did. I believe God is worthy of our respect, and we can honor Him through how we make our request(s) known to Him. I realize there will be moments where speed is critical and we won’t have time to prepare ourselves properly, but when we can take the time to approach God in a reverent way, I suggest we do so.
Father God, our Glorious and Magnificent Creator, You are wise and loving beyond compare. May we learn to approach You with a spiritual and physical posture that honors You, and reflects our reverence. May our hearts be humble, and recognize who we are in comparison. May we bring all matters before You in alignment with Your word, and Your heart, forever and ever, amen.
~ Conqueror in Training