River of Ahava

September 30th daily blog devotional by Keith Wayne Edwards

Read:

Ezra 8:21

21 There, by the Ahava Canal, I proclaimed a fast, so that we might humble ourselves before our God and ask him for a safe journey for us and our children, with all our possessions.

Life can get so stressful at times. Things can change in an instant, and we need to know how to get strength from God in those rough times. We can learn a great deal about our daily walk with the Lord by looking at Ezra. Ezra is going to Jerusalem concerning the reconstruction of Jerusalem. Fifty-Thousand Jews come before Ezra to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem Eighty years before Ezra takes the journey from Babylon to Jerusalem. When Ezra starts his journey to Jerusalem, he stops at the river of Ahava with the three-thousand he has with him. The Hebrew definition for Ahava is "I Shall Subsist" and subsist means to gain nourishment needed to carry on. It was just as much a spiritual nourishment as it was concerning food and raiment. Ezra proclaims a fast, and he gathers leading men to lead with him. Ezra not only knew the importance of humbling himself before God to help them make it to Jerusalem, but he knew the importance of plotting leaders all around him to bind together as one as they carried on the journey. I want us to stop today and gain the nourishment needed to walk this Christian walk. Let's open our hearts today for His spirit to strengthen us and make us strong in Him. We need to stop at that place like the River of Ahava, and we need to draw strength from the Father. He is so willing and able to help us in trying times, and He can help us through restoration to build the little Jerusalem that we may have in our hearts. We can also learn a great deal about Ezra here as we build the church of the Lord Jesus Christ upon the rock of revelation. Ezra plotted men around him. It is so important as a pastor to understand how God builds. If we don't have the revelation of how God builds, and how the church needs strong Godly leaders around them, then the church isn't being built upon that rock. There is a great deal of revelation from Ezra today that we need to understand, and we can gain that nourishment needed to carry on the great journey of spiritual growth with one another as the bride of Christ. Maybe you have a dream and you have given up on that dream. Maybe you are going through a very hard time right now and don't know what to do. Just reach out to God today, and gain the nourishment needed to go forward in the things of God.

Prayer:

Lord, we ask for strength as we face another day. We stop to gain the nourishment needed to carry on Lord. Give us the power to walk out this walk in your grace, and help us to hear your voice and learn of your ways in Jesus name we pray. Amen.