2006-11-10
Good Morning God's Treasures,
The Holy Spirit directs me to continue writing about occasions for fasting. This next one is desire for God's help and protection. There are always times when we feel the need for help and protection from illness, an enemy in our workplace, or whatever that upsets our feeling of security. Most especially when God takes us out of our comfort zones, He places us where, if we are truly faithful, we will seek out His help and protection. Can we just imagine how Ezra, an expert on the Law of God, must have felt? He was chosen to lead a group of Jews, as they were to return from exile [originally by the Babylonians who were later conquered by the Persians] after seventy years? It is most probable that Ezra was born and raised in Persia in the Jewish faith. He would be leaving the place with which he was most comfortable and familiar, to do a task for God with far-reaching spiritual ramifications. He was assigned to do this by the emperor, Artexerxes, the son of Xerxes who reigned from 465-424 BC. EZRA 7: 6b-7, "Because Ezra had the blessing of the Lord his God, the emperor gave him everything he asked for. In 458 BC, Ezra set out from Babylonia to Jerusalem with a group of Israelites which included priest, Levites, temple musicians, temple guard, and workmen." It was clear from this that the rebuilding of the Jerusalem temple and reestablishment of temple worship there was God's will.
Ezra began this journey by leading the people in fasting and prayer. EZRA 8: 21-23, "There by the Ahava Canal I gave orders for us all to fast and humble ourselves before our God and to ask Him to lead us on our journey and protect us and our children and all our possessions. I would have been ashamed to ask the emperor for a troop of cavalry to guard us from any enemies during our journey, because I had told him that our God blesses everyone who trusts in Him, but that He is displeased with and punishes anyone who turns away from Him. So we fasted and petitioned for God to protect us, and He answered our prayers." As one reads through the books of Nehemiah, Haggai, and Malachai, it becomes apparent that there are three main waves of Jews returning to Jerusalem-the first one led by Zerubbabel, the Governor in 536 BC, the second one led by Ezra in 458 BC, and the third one led by Nehemiah, the Governor in 445 BC. Human nature being what it is, the people, once they reached Jerusalem, delayed the rebuilding of the temple in favor of rebuilding their homes. This displeased God very much, but at last the temple was rebuilt in response to Haggai's message that they must put first things first. The book of Malachai also reveals the foibles of human-crafted priorities when its author's main message was to call the priests to renew their faithfulness to their covenant with God. It was clear that the priesthood needed restoration to God's will. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that these priests and citizens of Jerusalem needed to fast and pray to seek out God's will and then to follow it. How can we miss the overarching reality that God loves the Jewish people and has thus, refused over 3000 years of persecution and exiles to allow the Jews and their culture to be taken off the face of the earth?
Ezra was by no means the only one to seek out God's protection and help. David did this countless times over his lifetime on earth. He wrote in PS 32: 7, "You are my Hiding Place; You will save me from trouble. I sing aloud songs of deliverance, because You protect me." We all know that he endured a long period of persecution by the mentally ill, Saul, and found himself in danger countless times during the wars with the Philistines [1 SAM 16-26]. We need never ask if God was with Him, after David's experience with the Philistine giant, Goliath [1 SAM 17: 1-52]. 1 SAM 17: 45-47, 50, "David answered [Goliath], 'You are coming against me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the Israelite armies which you have defied. This very day the Lord will put you in my power, I will defeat you and cut off your heard. And I will give the bodies of the Philistine soldiers to the birds and animals to eat. Then the whole world will know that Israel has a God, and everyone here will see that the Lord does not need swords or spears to save his people. He is victorious in battle, and He will put all of you in our power... And so, without a sword, David defeated and killed Goliath with a sling and a stone!"
In all of our own lives, surely there have been times when we needed to petition and possibly fast before God for help with some problem or other, maybe even His protection where we felt our safety was being challenged. How many times have we prayed and maybe even fasted before taking a long trip, appealing to our Lord for safety? If we haven't done this, then we may not have sought God out in ways that please Him. I'm sure that in some of those times that Christ prayed in a solitary place to the Father, He was asking Him for safety and protection. After all, look at the opposition that Christ and His followers had to endure. God's help in times of need is always available to those who ask for it. PS 46: 1, "God is our Shelter and our Strength, always ready to help in times of trouble." There are some verses in the Scriptures which, in my mind, surely indicate that God limits the trouble that the evil one can produce [JOB 1: 12; REV 12: 12]. Read Christ's plea to the Father the night before His crucifixion in the Garden of Gethsemane in LK 22: 42, "'Father,' He said, 'if You will, take this cup of suffering away from Me. Not My will, however, but You will be done.'" In response, God sent an angel from heaven to appear to Christ and to strengthen Him (43). Can the Father protect and help us. You bet He can! All we have to do is to ask Him.
PRAYER: O Lord, we bow before Your mighty throne today with gratitude and thanksgiving in our hearts. We acknowledge Your love and compassion, which is large enough to answer our pleas for help when that help is within Your will. We sometimes choose to fast before petitioning You, mostly to help us focus on Your amazing grace and our need for Your help to protect us and guide us through the necessary challenges we must overcome to advance in our spiritual maturity. Jonah, an initially rebellious believer, said of You, in JON 2: 2, "In my distress I called to the Lord and He answered me. From the depths of the grave I called for help, and He listened to my cry." David wrote in PS 37: 39, "The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord; He is their Refuge in the time of trouble." Long ago You prompted the priest of Micah's house in the hill country of Ephraim to reply to the people of Dan, who were looking for territory to claim and settle in, "You have nothing to worry about. The Lord is taking care of you on this trip" [JG 18: 6]. We also know that King Jehoshaphat instructed the people, in 2 CH 20: 3-4, to fast and pray, when he and the Israelites were faced with a combined advancing army of Ammonites, Moabites, and Edomites against Israel. "Jehoshaphat was frightened, and prayed to the Lord for guidance. Then he gave orders for a fast to be observed throughout the country." Today, we approach You with our own desire and need for Your presence, help, and protection in our own lives. You were there in ancient times, and because You are an Eternal God, You will be here forever for Your people. We turn to You in reverence, knowing Your love is here for us. After all, while You allowed Your Son to die on the cross for our salvation, You also made Him the "First among many brothers" [RO 8: 29] to be resurrected to return to Your side for a blissful eternal life. We offer You our love, adoration, worship, praise, and thanks. In Christ's name we pray. Amen.
Next week, we will look at fasting in the face of pending judgment. Our Treasure Trove, the Scriptures, are a love letter from God. The Trove is filled with something better than precious gems or anything on earth. We have been told in Paul's letter to his protege, Timothy, in 2 TIM 1: 13-14, "Hold firmly to the true words that I taught you, as the example for you to follow, and remain in the faith and love that are ours in union with Christ Jesus. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, Who lives in us, guard the Treasure entrusted to you." Moreover, the value of the Treasure is seen in 2 TIM 2: 16-17, "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching the truth, rebuking error, correcting faults, and giving instruction for right living, so that the person who serves God may be fully qualified and equipped to do every kind of good deed." Dear Ones, I have included a lot of Scripture in this message for a reason. The word of God endures. IS 40: 6-8, "A voice says, 'Cry out.' And I said, 'What shall I cry?' 'All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field. The grass withers and the flower fall, because the breath of the Lord blows in them. Surely the people are grass. The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever.'" Joshua, in JS 1: 8, reminds us of our mandate to study and meditate on God's word. "Do not let this book if the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful." My prayer for each of us is that we may all experience the joy that comes from study, prayer, fasting, and centering our lives on God.
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn