The Old Testament book of Ezra tells the story of a prophet by the same name who leads a group of exiles back to their homeland.
In his own words: “I gathered them to the river that runs to Ahava, and there we camped three days. … 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.”
I love the raw honesty, the fearful yet active faith. The story is incredibly simple yet unfathomably deep. The king had already given Ezra an immense amount of wealth and almost certainly would have provided protection, but Ezra had put God on the line and wouldn’t jeopardize His reputation. So they fasted and implored God, and He listened to their entreaty.
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