Fast & Pray for Your Little Ones!

Ezra called together a band of exiles remaining in Babylon to make the journey back to Jerusalem. There were almost 2000 men, plus their families, who gathered with Ezra on the banks of the river Ahiva. The 700-mile journey would be long and arduous, and the tons of silver and gold they carried made them far more at risk of attack along the way. Ezra was ashamed to ask the king for an armed escort, because he had told the king that God showed favor on those who seek him. The king and others had given 25 tons of silver and almost 4 tons of gold! The risk was not only of losing the treasure they carried, but their lives and the lives of their families as well.

“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.” (Ezra 8:21, ESV)

I see a spiritual parallel to our lives in this story. We are on a journey from Bablyon to the heavenly Jerusalem, and there is an enemy who is seeking to pillage and plunder our lives, families, and spiritual possessions. Many Christians fall prey to the ambushes that Satan sets and become casualties. During the teen and college years our kids are especially vulnerable to being deceived into trading in the journey for the temporary pleasures of the flesh and the world: relationships, sex, popularity, partying, and by embracing worldly philosophies.

Ezra 8:31 records that Ezra and the travelers made it to Jerusalem safely, “The hand of our God was on us, and he delivered us from the hand of the enemy and from ambushes by the way.” Perhaps ambushes were set for them, and enemies tried to attack, yet because the hand of God was upon them, they were delivered safely through their valley of the shadow of death.

I believe that we as parents should not only pray for our children, but like Ezra, we should fast, asking God for safety from the evil one in our spiritual journey. Let’s together seek God for a safe journey for ourselves, our “little ones”, and our spiritual possessions. We can’t be the armed guard for our children like God and his heavenly hosts can be!

May God’s hand be over us and deliver us from the hand of the enemy and the ambushes by the way!