A Prayer for Courage
Are you embroiled in conflict and in need of courage today? The Bible depicts courage brilliantly through the story of Ezra, the scribe, in the Old Testament book of Ezra.
After the Temple of the Lord had been rebuilt in Jerusalem, King Artaxerxes of Persia commissioned Ezra to conduct an inquiry into the current conditions in Judah and Jerusalem. The King decreed that anyone in the province may voluntarily return with Ezra to Jerusalem, and he was equipped with all manner of goods, including massive amounts of gold, silver, and bronze for the beautification of the Temple. Ezra praised God for His hand of favor and the goodness with which he had been treated by the king and all the nobles of the land.
However, the enemies of Judah and Jerusalem were many. Traveling with such great treasure could certainly have made Ezra and the other volunteers on the journey easy prey for enemies and bandits.
But, the Bible tells us in Ezra 8:21-23 what Ezra did before they continued on their journey,
“And there by the Ahava Canal, I gave orders for all of us to fast and humble ourselves before our God. We prayed that he would give us a safe journey and protect us, our children, and our goods as we traveled. For I was ashamed to ask the king for soldiers and horsemen to accompany us and protect us from enemies along the way. After all, we had told the king, ‘Our God’s hand of protection is on all who worship him, but his fierce anger rages against those who abandon him.’ So we fasted and earnestly prayed that our God would take care of us, and he heard our prayer.”
God also heard the prayers of Moses, Joshua, David, Daniel, and many others in the Bible. If you will humble yourself and have faith in Christ, He will hear you, too.
Dear Father in Heaven,
Help me to be strong and courageous! Lord, in the face of conflict and battle, help me to trust and hope in You, my deliverer. You are the source of all strength and courage, and I know You will never fail me.
Father, I thank You for overcoming fear and discouragement in my life. I praise You that Your Word reminds us to be strong and courageous because You will never leave us! How great You are, Father.
Give us Your strength, Lord, when we grow weary. Keep us from discouragement and fear, and strengthen our faith in Your wondrous power.
Forgive us for falling short of Your best, Father, and may You be glorified in every area of our lives.
We ask all these things in Your perfect, holy name.
AMEN.
After the Temple of the Lord had been rebuilt in Jerusalem, King Artaxerxes of Persia commissioned Ezra to conduct an inquiry into the current conditions in Judah and Jerusalem. The King decreed that anyone in the province may voluntarily return with Ezra to Jerusalem, and he was equipped with all manner of goods, including massive amounts of gold, silver, and bronze for the beautification of the Temple. Ezra praised God for His hand of favor and the goodness with which he had been treated by the king and all the nobles of the land.
However, the enemies of Judah and Jerusalem were many. Traveling with such great treasure could certainly have made Ezra and the other volunteers on the journey easy prey for enemies and bandits.
But, the Bible tells us in Ezra 8:21-23 what Ezra did before they continued on their journey,
“And there by the Ahava Canal, I gave orders for all of us to fast and humble ourselves before our God. We prayed that he would give us a safe journey and protect us, our children, and our goods as we traveled. For I was ashamed to ask the king for soldiers and horsemen to accompany us and protect us from enemies along the way. After all, we had told the king, ‘Our God’s hand of protection is on all who worship him, but his fierce anger rages against those who abandon him.’ So we fasted and earnestly prayed that our God would take care of us, and he heard our prayer.”
God also heard the prayers of Moses, Joshua, David, Daniel, and many others in the Bible. If you will humble yourself and have faith in Christ, He will hear you, too.
Dear Father in Heaven,
Help me to be strong and courageous! Lord, in the face of conflict and battle, help me to trust and hope in You, my deliverer. You are the source of all strength and courage, and I know You will never fail me.
Father, I thank You for overcoming fear and discouragement in my life. I praise You that Your Word reminds us to be strong and courageous because You will never leave us! How great You are, Father.
Give us Your strength, Lord, when we grow weary. Keep us from discouragement and fear, and strengthen our faith in Your wondrous power.
Forgive us for falling short of Your best, Father, and may You be glorified in every area of our lives.
We ask all these things in Your perfect, holy name.
AMEN.
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