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Wilderness Day 5 Purposed Desolation

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Matthew 3:13-17
Matthew 4:1-11
Deuteronomy 6:13-16

Wilderness, Day 5

“Wilderness” is woven throughout the Bible.

Hagar’s desperation in the wilderness (Genesis 16:1-16)
Moses’ shepherding in the wilderness (Exodus 3)

Israel’s bitter complaining in wilderness wanderings (Exodus 14:11-14)
These are only a few examples.

Amazingly, God spoke of making a way in the wilderness. (Isaiah 43:20)

The wilderness isn’t a place of comfort, but is defined as a lonely, desolate place. I imagine wilderness as a place similar to the forested place I traveled with my mother as a child to cut firewood. Regardless of the landscape, wilderness is a place of lonely isolation.

Imagine Jesus taken by the Holy Spirit to that place of desolation. (Matthew 4:1-3) Imagine yourself there alone for 40 days and 40 nights without sustenance, and then the devil coming to tempt and taunt you. Some argue that because Jesus was God, He would have not felt tempted, physically weak, or lonely as we might, but Scripture reveals,

“For we do not have a great high priest [Jesus, the Son of God] who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in every way as we are, yet without sin.” (Hebrews 4:15)

We know Jesus felt hungry (Matthew 4:2) and tired (John 4:6), because, though He was fully God, He was also fully man.

Jesus’ wilderness was purposeful, a time set aside to fast, pray, and be present with His Father as He prepared to begin His ministry. Directly before this, when He was baptized, the Father testified about Him, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased.” (Matthew 3:17)

In the wilderness, the devil tempted Jesus to use His power in ways inconsistent with His mission as God’s Beloved Son.

The devil took advantage of timing, approaching Jesus at the end of His 40 day fast, when He was hungry. Tempting Jesus to give in to the desires of His body, He urged Jesus to turn nearby stones to bread to satisfy His hunger. (Matthew 4:2-3)

But Jesus answered, “It is written: Man must not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” (Matthew 4:4, Deuteronomy 8:3)

Undaunted by his failure, the devil took Jesus to stand on the pinnacle of the temple in the holy city, asking Jesus to prove Himself as the Son of God. Misusing Scripture to qualify his claim, he asked Jesus to fall from the pinnacle, claiming angels would save Him. (Matthew 4:5-6)

But Jesus answered, “It is also written: Do not test the Lord your God.” (Matthew 4:7, Deuteronomy 6:16)

The devil still would not give up; he took Jesus to a high mountain and showed Him the kingdoms of the world and their glory, then asked Him to worship Satan, in order to gain ownership of said kingdoms and glory. (Matthew 4:8-9)

Again, Jesus resisted with Scripture, “Go away, Satan! For it is written: Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.” (Matthew 4:10, Deuteronomy 6:13)
Defeated, the devil departed from Jesus.

At times, we find ourselves in our own wildernesses. Even in daily life, we may feel alone in our wilderness, threatened physically, mentally, or spiritually.

In our world, sin and temptation constantly surround us.
Temptation may approach in the form of a threat or that of pleasure,
but always with the same goal: to lure us into sin.
The devil will either use our everyday needs to tempt us, or dreadful condition to submerge us in fear, belittling God’s power in our lives.

Anything shifting our gaze away from God can become our idol. Ordinary things may not appear sinful, but if we prioritize them above God, they become idols. Food is a normal need, but if we allow it to control us, it becomes an idol; likewise money, position, or any hunger of our heart. We are always tempted to pursue that which we think will satisfy our lusts, and the resulting idols always stand between us and God.

Sister, be encouraged; these idols are stripped of their power in Christ!
Through God’s Spirit, we have the capacity to overcome temptation!

The Scripture says God is faithful to sustain us through temptation (1 Corinthians 10:13), and He has given us His Word to fight against the devil’s schemes. Jesus depended on God’s Word during His wilderness time; likewise, our victory over temptation depends on His Word. Among the spiritual weapons apostle and preacher, Paul, lists in Ephesians 6:10-18, “the sword of the Spirit–which is the word of God” is the only offensive weapon mentioned.

Finally, when we find ourselves in the wilderness, let’s believe the desolation can be unto a purpose. Let’s immerse ourselves in His Word, meditating on it day and night, until it abides within us. Then, when we face temptation, let us follow the example set by Jesus and wield it effectively, unto victory!

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Build Day 2 The Need To Build: Digging Deeper

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Digging Deeper Days

Finding the original intent of Scripture and making good application to our everyday lives as we become equipped to correctly handle the Word of Truth!

Yesterday’s Journey Study connects with today’s!
Check out The Need To Build!

The Questions

1) Why does Nehemiah weep and mourn when he hears the ruined state of Jerusalem’s walls? (Nehemiah 1:4)

2) Why does Nehemiah ask the Lord to be attentive to Nehemiah and remember God’s promises? (Nehemiah 1:8-11)

3) Why did Nehemiah say that the gracious hand of God was on him? (Nehemiah 2:8)

Nehemiah 1:1-2:8

The words of Nehemiah son of Hacaliah: During the month of Chislev in the twentieth year, when I was in the fortress city of Susa, 2 Hanani, one of my brothers, arrived with men from Judah, and I questioned them about Jerusalem and the Jewish remnant that had survived the exile. 3 They said to me, “The remnant in the province, who survived the exile, are in great trouble and disgrace. Jerusalem’s wall has been broken down, and its gates have been burned.”4 When I heard these words, I sat down and wept. I mourned for a number of days, fasting and praying before the God of the heavens. 5 I said, Lord, the God of the heavens, the great and awe-inspiring God who keeps his gracious covenant with those who love him and keep his commands, 6 let your eyes be open and your ears be attentive to hear your servant’s prayer that I now pray to you day and night for your servants, the Israelites. I confess the sins we have committed against you. Both I and my father’s family have sinned. 7 We have acted corruptly toward you and have not kept the commands, statutes, and ordinances you gave your servant Moses. 8 Please remember what you commanded your servant Moses: “If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the peoples. 9 But if you return to me and carefully observe my commands, even though your exiles were banished to the farthest horizon I will gather them from there and bring them to the place where I chose to have my name dwell.” 10 They are your servants and your people. You redeemed them by your great power and strong hand. 11 Please, Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant and to that of your servants who delight to revere your name. Give your servant success today, and grant him compassion in the presence of this man. At the time, I was the king’s cupbearer.

During the month of Nisan in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was set before him, I took the wine and gave it to the king. I had never been sad in his presence, 2 so the king said to me, “Why do you look so sad, when you aren’t sick? This is nothing but sadness of heart.” I was overwhelmed with fear 3 and replied to the king, “May the king live forever! Why should I not be sad when the city where my ancestors are buried lies in ruins and its gates have been destroyed by fire?” 4 Then the king asked me, “What is your request?” So I prayed to the God of the heavens 5 and answered the king, “If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor with you, send me to Judah and to the city where my ancestors are buried, so that I may rebuild it.” 6 The king, with the queen seated beside him, asked me, “How long will your journey take, and when will you return?” So I gave him a definite time, and it pleased the king to send me. 7 I also said to the king, “If it pleases the king, let me have letters written to the governors of the region west of the Euphrates River, so that they will grant me safe passage until I reach Judah. 8 And let me have a letter written to Asaph, keeper of the king’s forest, so that he will give me timber to rebuild the gates of the temple’s fortress, the city wall, and the home where I will live.” The king granted my requests, for the gracious hand of my God was on me.

Original Intent

1) Why does Nehemiah weep and mourn when he hears the ruined state of Jerusalem’s walls? (Nehemiah 1:4)
Nehemiah was an exile from Jerusalem living in the Persian city of Susa, serving as a cupbearer to the King. When his brother visited and told him of the desolation and ruin in the city of Jerusalem, Nehemiah sat down and wept, then fasted and prayed. (Nehemiah 1:4) He mourned over the ruined state of his city as it lay open and vulnerable to attack. In that ancient culture, a city whose gates were broken and whose walls were destroyed couldn’t even be defined as a city. Nehemiah knew Jerusalem needed protection because many of God’s promises were connected to Jerusalem and its people who came from Abraham. (Genesis 12:1-3) Additionally, God’s temple was there. (Haggai 1) Lawrence H. Schiffman explains that the temple’s restoration was important because it “allowed Israel to continue its ancestral worship of God in the ways prescribed by its ancient literature [and]… established the biblical sacrificial system…“ Jerusalem also needed protection from her enemies. Brian Bill suggests Nehemiah was also “broken over the complacency of the people of Jerusalem. They were living in ruins and they accepted it. They were willing to walk around the devastation instead of being concerned enough to do something about their situation.” Although he didn’t live there, Nehemiah’s heart was present in Jerusalem with his people in his ancestral home. He was woeful to think of God’s people suffering, humbled, and defenseless. God used Nehemiah’s concern and love for God and his people to raise him up as a leader to accomplish God’s purposes.

2) Why does Nehemiah ask the Lord to be attentive to Nehemiah and remember God’s promises? (Nehemiah 1:8-11)
When Nehemiah sought the Lord over restoring the walls of Jerusalem, he asked God to remember what He had previously commanded Moses, and he petitioned God to be attentive to his prayers. (Nehemiah 1:8-11) Nehemiah knew it was wise to speak God’s promises back to Him because the Word of the Lord is true (Psalm 33:4) and God honors His promises. (Hebrews 10:23) David Guzik asserts, “This, no doubt, is the secret to great power in prayer: to plead the promises of God. We may be a bit annoyed when one of our children comes to us saying ‘Daddy, you promised’; but our Father in heaven delights in it.” Nehemiah reminded the Lord of His promise to Moses that He would scatter His people because of their disobedience and that He would gather them together when they repented and returned to God. (Deuteronomy 30:1-4) Brian Bill paraphrases the prayer of Nehemiah, “Lord, the first part is true. We’ve disobeyed and we’re in captivity. But Lord, you’ve made a promise to bring us back home and protect us there – and that has not happened yet. I’m claiming your promise that You’ll make it happen.” Nehemiah prayed with expectation, knowing that God’s heart toward the people was forgiveness and restoration, and that now was as good a time as any to perform His Word. Nehemiah asked God to attend to his prayers because He wanted God to know he was in earnest and that God’s heart was being reflected in Nehemiah’s. In praying the promises of God, Nehemiah knew he would be touching the heart of God and His desire to perform His Word for His people.

3) Why did Nehemiah say that the gracious hand of God was on him? (Nehemiah 2:8)
When Nehemiah was granted permission and assistance from the King to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the walls, he declared, “the gracious hand of God was on me.” (Nehemiah 2:8) Nehemiah recognized that God orchestrated the entire incident for him, including making him the King’s cupbearer and giving him favor with the king so his requests would be heard and granted. A cupbearer, “in the ancient Oriental courts, was always a person of rank and importance; and, from the confidential nature of his duties and his frequent access to the royal presence, he possessed great influence” (Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary) God placed Nehemiah in a situation of gaining favor of the one man who could provide the assistance and resources necessary to rebuild Jerusalem’s wall. God had done the same with Ezra when he began rebuilding the temple in Jerusalem. (Ezra 7:6)  W.P. Lockhart suggests, “When God has work to be done He provides suitable instruments and places them in favourable situations to promote His plans.” Such was certainly the case for Nehemiah. Not everyone who stood before the king unbidden to make a request was honored as Nehemiah was. It was surely God’s grace on him that brought about the success of his mission. The hand of God was on Nehemiah to rebuild the wall, just as it had been on Ezra to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem. It is encouraging to know that when God calls you to do something for Him, He gives you the grace and favor you need to see it through. (2 Timothy 1:9)

Everyday Application

1) Why does Nehemiah weep and mourn when he hears the ruined state of Jerusalem’s walls? (Nehemiah 1:4)
I was impressed with Nehemiah’s devotion to God and His people when I read his reaction to the dire situation of Jerusalem, its broken walls, and the peoples’ disgrace. Nehemiah 1:4 describes his response, “When I heard these words, I sat down and wept. I mourned for a number of days, fasting and praying before the God of the heavens.” Reading this made me consider the last time I wept, fasted, or even prayed for the sadness and desolation I see around me in the church, in my culture, and the world. I certainly notice when big events happen, but I wonder if I have become complacent in the face of rampant sin in the world around me. Kathleen Nielsen suggests “Nehemiah cares about the wall because the wall will protect the people. Nehemiah cares about the people because God loves them, because God redeemed them, covenanted with them, and promised to raise up the one who would crush the oppressor for them.” Because Nehemiah loved God, he also loved the people God loved. Jesus told us something similar in John 15:12, “Love one another as I have loved you.” I should be moved with God’s love for the people around me, like Nehemiah was, because of the love God has poured out on me. (1 John 4:19) Jesus even told us that others will recognize we are Christ-followers by the way we love one another. (John 13:35) Nehemiah saw God’s people suffering and let his love move him to action. I purpose to be like Nehemiah and let God’s love pour out of me and onto those hurting around me.

2) Why does Nehemiah ask the Lord to be attentive to Nehemiah and remember God’s promises? (Nehemiah 1:8-11)
When I was ten years old, my parents gave me a little clear plastic box with a hinged lid that contained all the promises of God in the Bible written out on little pieces of cardstock. I loved choosing one to pin on the cork board above my desk each week so I could see and contemplate it while taking a brain break. Those pinned promises helped me learn the heart of God towards me. They taught me to pray that God would do what He promised in my life. I learned that when I ask with right motives that honor God’s glory (James 4:3), God promises I will receive. (Luke 11:9) I often reminded God of this promise, especially when His timetable did not match mine. Nehemiah reminded God of what he thought was an overdue promise in Nehemiah 1:8-11. God had promised to gather His scattered people once they repented, and Nehemiah reminded Him that He still hadn’t fulfilled that promise. Nehemiah assuredly knew God was faithful to keep His promises (Deuteronomy 7:9), so he understood that praying God’s promises was a winning strategy to gather God’s people and repair the walls of Jerusalem. Praying the promises of God is a good plan for all of us, because we know God watches over His Word to accomplish it. (Jeremiah 1:12) Dr. David Jeremiah declares, “One of the most practical ways to be powered by God’s promises is to pray them. When we pray God’s promises, we are telling Him we trust Him to keep His Word.” When we come against a need, we can follow Nehemiah’s example and remind our faithful God of His promises in the Word. We can trust He is faithful to fulfill His promises!

3) Why did Nehemiah say that the gracious hand of God was on him? (Nehemiah 2:8) Nehemiah knew he would have a chance to ask the King for help in rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem. He fasted and prayed before making his request of the king (Nehemiah 1:4) because Nehemiah understood God was sovereign over the earthly king. He even prayed just moments before he told the King his troubles. When the king granted all Nehemiah asked, Nehemiah recognized “the gracious hand of God was on me.” (Nehemiah 2:8) Grace is something God freely gives to His children. It is not something we can earn. (Ephesians 2:8) A.W. Tozer explains, “Grace is the good pleasure of God that inclines Him to bestow benefits upon the undeserving.” God chooses to give grace to His people, and that unmerited favor equips us in our endeavors for Him. John Piper describes how God’s grace “also refers to the action or the power or the influence or the force of this disposition, which produces real, practical outcomes in people’s lives, like being sufficient for good deeds or enduring the thorn in the flesh or working harder than everybody else. . .” Because of God’s gracious hand on his life, Nehemiah was able to gather the resources he needed to rebuild the walls in Jerusalem. God’s gracious hand on our lives can help us do remarkable things and endure unthinkable things. We know “we have all received grace upon grace from His fullness” (John 1:16), and this grace empowers us to accomplish what otherwise would be impossible. (Matthew 19:26)

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1) Take this passage (or any other passage).
2) Read it, and the verses around it,
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3) Write down your questions
as you think of them.
4) Ask specific culture related questions and be ready to dig around for your answers. Google them, use www.studylight.org, or look them up in a study Bible and read the footnotes (click on the little letters next to a word and it will show you
other related verses!). (www.esvbible.org)
5) Check your applications with other trusted Christians that you are in community with and embrace the fullness of God
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Why Dig Deeper?

Finding the original meaning is a huge deal when we study Scripture and can make all the difference in our understanding as we apply God’s truths to our everyday lives.

In our modern-day relationships, we want people to understand our original intention as we communicate; how much more so between God and humanity?!

Here’s a little bit more on why we take Digging Deeper so seriously.

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Build Day 1 The Need To Build

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Nehemiah 1:1-2:8
Ezra 4:8-23
Proverbs 16:1-3
Ephesians 2:8-10

Build, Day 1

Have you ever been overcome by a need?

Maybe it was hearing about a disaster or a situation of suffering and knowing you had to help. Whether it was a charity appeal or a cause closer to home, consider a time when you were so overwhelmed by the brokenness that you knew action was required.

This was the situation in which Nehemiah found himself.

When we meet him, he is working in a Persian palace as cupbearer to King Artaxerxes. It is a position of influence and responsibility, and it appears life is going well for Nehemiah, but then his brother arrives, bringing distressing news from Jerusalem.

“The remnant in the province, who survived the exile, are in great trouble and disgrace. Jerusalem’s wall has been broken down, and its gates have been burned.” (Nehemiah 1:3)

By this point, it’s been around 140 years since the Babylonians invaded Jerusalem, destroying the Temple and the city walls and capturing many of the people. Following the Persians’ victory over the Babylonians, many exiles had been allowed to return to Jerusalem and the Temple had been rebuilt under the leadership of Zerubbabel. (Ezra 6:14-15) Although many exiles had returned to Jerusalem for several years, its walls had never been restored.

Nehemiah is distraught as he thinks of the shame and indignity of his people living in a city that is destroyed and defenseless. Ignoring the situation was impossible; action was required.

As we consider how we might respond to being touched by a great need, there are several lessons we can draw from Nehemiah’s story.

First, he responds with genuine concern. He sits down and weeps. He prays and fasts, not just fleetingly, but for days. Although he is in a position of success and privilege, he has compassion on his fellow Israelites and their sorry state. His motivation in all that follows is unselfish. In many ways, his life would be easier if he chose to ignore the Israelites’ plight. However, he is not seeking personal gain, but restoration for others.

Then, Nehemiah prays. He doesn’t rush to take action, but he pauses to seek God. He recalls God’s greatness and unfailing love, and acknowledges how Israel’s unfaithfulness has led them to this situation. He appeals to God’s power and promises, knowing that if he is to work toward resolution, success will only come in God’s strength.

Finally, Nehemiah acts. It is now around five months since his brother’s visit, and, at last, Nehemiah has the opportunity to speak with the king. It is unclear whether Nehemiah’s look of sadness is deliberate in order to prompt the king’s question or whether it is simply a natural expression of his emotional state. Either way, it is not culturally acceptable to appear sad in the king’s presence. It risks incurring his wrath, and as Nehemiah responds to the king, he is “overwhelmed with fear.” (Nehemiah 2:2)

Continuing to pray even as he converses with the king, Nehemiah explains the situation and asks permission to travel to Jerusalem to rebuild the walls. Not only does the king agree, but he also promises letters to the governors of other territories granting Nehemiah safe passage through their land, and he even gives instructions to the manager of the king’s forest ordering him to supply Nehemiah with the timber he will need! The Lord has granted Nehemiah favor!

It is clear to Nehemiah that the outcome of this conversation is not because of him; instead, “[t]he king granted my requests, for the gracious hand of my God was on me.” (Nehemiah 2:8)

In fact, as we look deeper into the background of the story, we see that long before Nehemiah ever considered rebuilding Jerusalem’s walls, God was already building behind the scenes.

Earlier in King Artaxerxes’ reign, the Israelites had attempted to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem, but those who opposed the rebuilding had persuaded Artaxerxes to order it to stop. He had decreed the work must halt and the city could only be rebuilt at his command. (Ezra 4:21)

The Bible doesn’t tell us anything about how Nehemiah came to work for Artaxerxes, but it seems clear it was no coincidence. He was able to win the trust and respect of the king, and he was perfectly placed to influence him to allow rebuilding to resume.

Even in a dark time for His people, God was still sovereign, and He was still active behind the scenes, working for restoration.

As we consider the situations of need we see around us, may we follow Nehemiah’s example in allowing our concern to prompt our prayer, and then our action, under God’s leading, always trusting God is sovereign. He has a heart to restore, and His purposes will succeed.

May we, like Nehemiah, be willing to play our part.

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The GT Weekend! ~ Training Week 3

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The GT Weekend!

At Gracefully Truthful, weekends aren’t for “checking out”.
Use this time to invite the Almighty’s fullness into you life in a deeper way!
Saturdays and Sundays are a chance to
reflect, rest, and re-center our lives onto Christ.
Don’t miss the opportunity to connect with other women in prayer,
rest your soul in reflective journaling,
and spend time worshiping the Creator who
longs for intimacy with each of us!

Worship Through Journaling

Worship Through Journaling

1) I often find myself getting busy and eventually, I realize I haven’t eaten or been hungry. However, when intentionally choosing to fast, my attention becomes desperately focused on the necessity of food. Funny how our minds work! Not so funny is understanding that Satan is working against us by attacking our discipline of fasting with distraction. For me, I find fasting to be among the more difficult spiritual disciplines. Fasting for various reasons has become trendier in recent times, providing a more comfortable platform for discussion, but spiritual fasting is still often forgotten. On the other hand, believers who fast can be tempted to look down upon those who haven’t yet practiced fasting. For years, I didn’t fast as I was either pregnant or nursing, and undisciplined in between. The more I leaned into relationship with Jesus, the more convicted I became concerning fasting. I realized I may be missing the movement of God because I was unwilling to set myself aside through prayer and fasting. Where can you begin to train in fasting? Try giving up a single meal once a week, then move towards two and three a day. Watch how the Lord shows you Himself in deeper ways and moves mountains with your faith as you physically surrender to Him! Written by Carol Graft

2) It’s easy to become caught up in worship music and think we’ve truly worshiped the Lord fully, but Wednesday’s Journey Study showed us how worship is much more than an experience. Brenda taught us that biblical worship is a lifestyle that glorifies God, moves us to obedience and complete surrender, and cultivates respect for the Lord. Reflect on being sustained by God. Write out prayers of thanksgiving and praise for the ways He guards, protects, and preserves. As we reflect upon and see the characteristics of God, allowing Him to be everything we need in every situation, we worship! How can you incorporate meditating on God’s character into your daily schedule? As you meditate on those characteristics, find Scripture you can use to remind yourself of these truths about God’s heart so this fundamental understanding will lead our hearts into genuine worship. Written by Marietta Taylor

3) Generosity is almost always associated with giving money. While this is certainly part of generosity, we saw how exercising our generosity muscles encompasses more than finances. A generosity that reflects God’s heart is founded upon intentional and joyful sacrifice. This lifestyle of giving can involve money, prayer, sharing wisdom, or using your talents to encourage and edify the Church. I remember offering to babysit for our neighbor’s young children so the couple could enjoy their anniversary. My husband and I kept the kids not one night, but two. Something so simple, but richly life-giving to them, and memorable for all of us! Think of some instances when you’ve experienced another’s generosity toward you. Record what they did, how it made you feel, and how it reflected the heart of God to you. How have you been generous to others? Remember that being generous is something only God equips us to do. How can you make space in your life to be more generous? Begin by praying about how the Lord may be specifically calling you to be generous and then do it! If you need some inspiration, check out the Open Journey Theme! Written by Marietta Taylor

Praying Scripture back to the One who wrote it in the first place is a great way to jump start our prayer-life! Pray this passage from Colossians 3:23-24 back to the Lord and
let His Spirit speak to you through it!

Whatever you do, do it from the heart, as something done for the Lord and not for people, knowing that you will receive the reward of an inheritance from the Lord. You serve the Lord Christ.

Prayer Journal
Heavenly Father, as we close out this study on training, I pray all I have learned will remain with me. You know I struggle with consistency. So, I pray the Holy Spirit will continually nudge me to evaluate my life to reveal how I can better worship you, serve you and others, and grow ever closer to You. May I spend my everyday moments practicing for that One Day when I will finally be in Your presence, worshiping You forever. Every breath spent on this endeavor is well spent and echoes into eternity! May I never stop pursuing after, and participating in, spiritual training, for here, I come to know You in ever deepening ways. Help me be an example to others, not for my glory Lord, but for Yours. Praise Your glorious name for the good work You are doing through my surrender!

Worship Through Community

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Worship Through Prayer

Worship Through Music

Training Day 12 Hungry For More: Digging Deeper

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Digging Deeper Days

Finding the original intent of Scripture and making good application to our everyday lives as we become equipped to correctly handle the Word of Truth!

Yesterday’s Journey Study connects with today’s!
Check out Hungry For More!

The Questions

1) What is biblical fasting and what is its purpose? (verse 1)

2) Why was there great mourning among the Jewish people? (verse 3)

3) What role did fasting play in saving the Jews? (verse 16)

Esther 4

When Mordecai learned all that had occurred, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and ashes, went into the middle of the city, and cried loudly and bitterly. 2 He went only as far as the King’s Gate, since the law prohibited anyone wearing a sackcloth from entering the King’s Gate. 3 There was great mourning among the Jewish people in every province where the king’s command and edict reached. They fasted, wept, and lamented, and many lay in sackcloth and ashes.

4 Esther’s female servants and her eunuchs came and reported the news to her, and the queen was overcome with fear. She sent clothes for Mordecai to wear so that he would take off his sackcloth, but he did not accept them. 5 Esther summoned Hathach, one of the king’s eunuchs who attended her, and dispatched him to Mordecai to learn what he was doing and why. 6 So Hathach went out to Mordecai in the city square in front of the King’s Gate. 7 Mordecai told him everything that had happened as well as the exact amount of money Haman had promised to pay the royal treasury for the slaughter of the Jews.

8 Mordecai also gave him a copy of the written decree issued in Susa ordering their destruction, so that Hathach might show it to Esther, explain it to her, and command her to approach the king, implore his favor, and plead with him personally for her people. 9 Hathach came and repeated Mordecai’s response to Esther.

10 Esther spoke to Hathach and commanded him to tell Mordecai, 11 “All the royal officials and the people of the royal provinces know that one law applies to every man or woman who approaches the king in the inner courtyard and who has not been summoned—the death penalty—unless the king extends the gold scepter, allowing that person to live. I have not been summoned to appear before the king for the last thirty days.” 12 Esther’s response was reported to Mordecai.

13 Mordecai told the messenger to reply to Esther, “Don’t think that you will escape the fate of all the Jews because you are in the king’s palace. 14 If you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will come to the Jewish people from another place, but you and your father’s family will be destroyed. Who knows, perhaps you have come to your royal position for such a time as this.”

15 Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: 16 “Go and assemble all the Jews who can be found in Susa and fast for me. Don’t eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my female servants will also fast in the same way. After that, I will go to the king even if it is against the law. If I perish, I perish.” 17 So Mordecai went and did everything Esther had commanded him.

Original Intent

1) What is biblical fasting and what is its purpose? (verse 1)
True biblical fasting is both a heart and body posture of seeking God above all else. We do away with the comforts of food or drink in order to display our desperate need, seek repentance for sin, or ask God’s guidance. In his fasting, Mordecai also wept and lamented. Is there a difference between the two? Lament is to be mournful or regretful, but in biblical settings the intonation is that the lament is directed in prayer to God. To weep is to cry aloud. Both actions denote deep, anguished grief, especially when combined together. Mordecai’s response to learning of the genocide of his people was to fast, weep, and lament in prayer. (verse 3) Many people who were mourning went a step further and wore sackcloth, functional garments made of coarse material from either goat or camel hair. God instructed the Israelites to wear sackcloth when repenting. “On that day the Lord God of Armies called for weeping, for wailing, for shaven heads, and for the wearing of sackcloth.” (Isaiah 22:12) The uncomfortable fabric would have been a reminder of brokenness resulting from sin. Ashes were a sign of self-humiliation and mourning. Others would notice the sackcloth garment, see the ashes, and hear the laments. These outward signs were intended to usher in repentance as participants publicly declared the internal state of their heart for either humility in asking guidance or sorrow over sin.

2) Why was there great mourning among the Jewish people? (verse 3)
King Xerxes had a servant, Haman, who was elevated to a seat of honor higher than any of the other king’s nobles. (Esther 3:1) Everyone knelt to give him honor at the king’s gate except one man, Mordecai. (Esther 3:2) This infuriated Haman and irked his pride. (Esther 3:5) On learning of Mordecai’s Jewish heritage, Haman loathed the Jews even more; incited by Mordecai’s refusal to bow in Haman’s presence, Haman “planned to destroy all of Mordecai’s people, the Jews”. (Esther 3:6) In effort to preserve his own arrogance, Haman plotted the extermination of an entire people group, effectively eradicating the race he hated. Through trickery, Haman involved the king and gained his approval. (Esther 3:8-9) Within days, the king sealed an edict with his signet ring condemning all Jews to death. (Esther 3:10-13) This horrific legalization of mass genocide was the reason Mordecai and all his people came before the Lord in fasting, weeping, and lament.

3) What role did fasting play in saving the Jews? (verse 16)
Esther commanded Mordecai to commission the Jewish people to fast and pray for three days. (Esther 4:16) Esther also included herself and her maidservant in the fast as well. (Esther 4:16) Fasting is a biblical discipline intended to petition the Lord for His assistance, often on behalf of another. (Isaiah 58:6-8) We are to practice this with intentionality. In the Old Testament law given to Israel, God declared, “This is to be a permanent statute for you: In the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month you are to practice self-denial and do no work, both the native and the alien who resides among you.” (Leviticus 16:29)  Fasting is a sacrifice and, as such, we recognize it will be uncommon and uncomfortable but not unrecognized by our Lord. (Matthew 6:16-18) Esther was willing to go to the king on behalf of the Jews, but only after she had fasted and prayed. Fasting demonstrates both a humble heart and willing submission to the authority of the Lord God. In recognition that all things are sustained and upheld by God (Colossians 1:16-17), fasting with prayer displays a pleading for mercy.

Everyday Application

1) What is biblical fasting and what is its purpose? (verse 1)
Mordecai was in anguish at Haman’s plot to destroy the Jews because of their ethnicity and beliefs. Division between cultures and races is evidenced throughout the Old Testament between Jews and any other population outside the tribes of Israel. The best example of this division, and Jesus’ loving, invitational response to know Him, is displayed in the dialogue between Jesus and a Samaritan woman. “A woman of Samaria came to draw water. “Give me a drink,” Jesus said to her, because His disciples had gone into town to buy food. “How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” she asked him. For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.” (John 4:7-9) Jesus invited a relationship across cultural-racial boundaries because God’s heart is love towards all people to know Him as the God who rescues from sin and condemnation. When we fast as Mordecai did for his people, we are bearing up the burden of reconciliation and bringing it to the Lord who loves to bring unity. Mordecai was heartbroken for his people and desired their preservation, so his response was to bring his burden to the Lord through fasting, weeping, and lamenting. Jesus came for the sins of the entire world (John 3:16), therefore we should be concerned for the salvation of our world. Lamenting over our division through fasting and prayer as Mordecai exemplified is the place to begin. God would have us preach the gospel to all the nations. (Mark 13:10)

2) Why was there great mourning among the Jewish people? (verse 3)
The Jews were to be annihilated because of the selfish ambitions of one man, Haman. (Esther 3:1-6) Haman was “filled with rage” because Mordecai would not pay him the respect he thought he deserved. It’s easy to read this account and condemn Haman for such arrogance, but what happens to us when we don’t get our way or are wronged by another? Surges of anger? Feelings of indignation?  Perhaps even disgust? The rest of Esther’s narrative shows us that Haman grew so angry he not only plotted the destruction of an entire nation of people, but also constructed towering gallows on which to personally hang Mordecai. (Esther 5:14) Anger and rage burn inside us until we make poor judgments. (James 1:14-15) The Bible reminds us not to sin when we are angry and not to let the sun go down on the anger we feel. (Ephesians 4:26-27) Scripture also reminds us that God has final judgment on all actions. (Psalm 50:6, Psalm 75:6-8) In light of God and His righteous judgment, consider the comfort of Psalm 54:7, “For He has rescued me from every trouble, and my eye has looked down on my enemies. God is our refuge and strength, but he is also our defender!” God offers rescue to all who trust entirely upon Him! He removes our sin “as far as the east is from the west” (Psalm 103:12) and gives His own righteousness to us in exchange for our great sinfulness. (2 Corinthians 5:21)

3) What role did fasting play in saving the Jews? (verse 16)
When the Holy Spirit prompts us to fast we need to examine the reason. Have we sinned and are seeking forgiveness? Is there a decision to be made? Is there a certain calamity our family, employer, or nation is facing? When called to fast, how will we prepare our hearts? Will our focus be on reflecting God’s glory or on obtaining our desires? (John 14:13) When Mordecai learned all that had occurred, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and ashes, went into the middle of the city, and cried loudly and bitterly. (Esther 4:1) How will you respond to the discipline of fasting? If you are in another’s presence, can you lament? If there is a party or event planned can you dress in sackcloth? Should you fast from food in the presence of others? Although these might seem legalistic, they each have their importance in the picture of fasting. These are questions you must take to God in prayer. Jesus fasted before entering His earthly ministry. (Matthew 4:2) The prophetess, Anna, fasted in the temple as a routine discipline of her faith. (Luke 2:37) Esther fasted before petitioning the king. (Esther 4:16) Seek your own posture of fasting and allow God to direct the type of fast you will offer as a sacrifice to Him.

What do YOU think?! Share Here!
Missing the connection to our other Journey Study?
Catch up with Hungry For More!

Digging Deeper is for Everyone!

1) Take this passage (or any other passage).
2) Read it, and the verses around it,
several times
3) Write down your questions
as you think of them.
4) Ask specific culture related questions and be ready to dig around for your answers. Google them, use www.studylight.org, or look them up in a study Bible and read the footnotes (click on the little letters next to a word and it will show you
other related verses!). (www.esvbible.org)
5) Check your applications with other trusted Christians that you are in community with and embrace the fullness of God
in your everyday!

Digging Deeper Community

Share What You’ve Learned!
Pray Together!
Join us in the GT Facebook Community!

Our Current Study Theme!

This is Training Week Three!
Don’t miss out on the discussion!
Sign up to receive every GT Journey Study!

Why Dig Deeper?

Finding the original meaning is a huge deal when we study Scripture and can make all the difference in our understanding as we apply God’s truths to our everyday lives.

In our modern-day relationships, we want people to understand our original intention as we communicate; how much more so between God and humanity?!

Here’s a little bit more on why we take Digging Deeper so seriously.

Study Tools

We love getting help while we study and www.studylight.org is one of many excellent resources, providing the original Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament) with an English translation.

Want to know more about a specific word in a verse? Click on “Strong’s Interlinear Bible” then click the word you’d like to study. Discover “origin”, “definition” and hear the original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!

Want more background? Click “Study Tools”, then pick a few commentaries to read their scholarly approach, keeping in mind that just because a commentary says it, doesn’t mean it’s true. (just like the internet :-))

Memorize It!

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Training Day 11 Hungry For More

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Read His Words Before Ours!

John 4:27-38
Isaiah 58:1-12
Matthew 6:9-21
Esther 4

Training, Day 11

From my childhood, fasting has been a discipline I have heard about and witnessed. I grew up in the Bible Belt, an area in the midwest and southern US where Protestant fundamentalism is widely practiced. Appearing “godly” is part of the culture. When I was younger, though I felt shame and guilt for not participating in community fasts, I didn’t really see the need for fasting. Why should I starve myself in order to seem holy?

As I grew in spiritual understanding, I learned fasting is an essential part of our relationship with God. It wasn’t actually about starving myself, but about finding satisfaction for my soul-hunger! Each time I’ve fasted, I’ve gained a new understanding of God.

First, I’ve learned fasting can bring true repentance.

In Joel 2:12-14, the Lord exhorted Israel to fast, mourn, and weep as an expression of turning their hearts back to Him. Setting aside the sustenance their bodies required symbolized the people’s realization of their desperate need for God that surpassed their physical desires. 

God’s emphasis was on capturing Israel’s heart,
not on asking them to put on a faux “godly appearance”.
“Tear your hearts, not just your clothes, and return to the Lord your God.” (Joel 2:13a)

This call to fasting as an expression of deep spiritual conviction, rather than a shallow, false display of piety, is echoed and expanded to all believers in Jesus’ teaching.

“Whenever you fast, don’t be gloomy like the hypocrites. For they make their faces unattractive so their fasting is obvious to people. Truly I tell you, they have their reward. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that your fasting isn’t obvious to others but to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” (Matthew 6:16-18)

Whether expressed in private moments with our Father, or as a time of communal repentance, fasting turns our hearts from the idol of self. Selfishness wrecks the intimacy we can share with God, but fasting reveals our lusting desires to pursue ourselves and our attempt to wrest control of our lives. Denying our physical bodies shifts our attention onto the One who fully satisfies us because He alone is “gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, and abounding in faithful love.” (Joel 2:13b)

Next, fasting can be a sign of authentic worship.

As infant Jesus is dedicated at the temple in Jerusalem, we meet Anna, an elderly widow who dedicated her life to fasting and praying as an expression of authentic worship.

“There was also a prophetess, Anna [. . .] She did not leave the temple, serving God night and day with fasting and prayers. At that very moment, she came up and began to thank God and to speak about him to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.”
(Luke 2:36-38)

Anna was an authentic worshiper of Christ, privileged to be one of the first in His life. A lifetime devoted to fasting and prayer prepared her spirit to recognize her Savior in the unlikeliest of forms, a newborn. After 400 years of silent prophets, an elderly, vulnerable, poor widow gives voice to the words of the Lord, giving thanks and declaring the arrival of Jesus.

Third, fasting magnifies our true need in life, God.

Every time I have fasted, I’ve been reminded of the reality that without God, I am nothing.
He is my sustainer,
He is my redeemer,
He is the answer to all my questions.

For me, fasting has been a way to literally empty myself and fill up with only Christ.
Fasting, then, is a physical representation of our spiritual lives.

When we are empty and hurting, we should turn our eyes, hearts, and minds to Christ, because only in Him will we receive our deepest needs.

Jesus demonstrated this truth in a shocking conversation with a Samaritan woman near a well.

“Jesus said, ‘Everyone who drinks from this water will get thirsty again. But whoever drinks from the water that I will give him will never get thirsty again. In fact, the water I give him will become a well of water springing up in him for eternal life.’” (John 4:13-14)

Later, the discussion continues among His disciples…

“In the meantime, the disciples kept urging him, ‘Rabbi, eat something.’ But he said, ‘I have food to eat that you don’t know about [. . .] My food is to do the will of Him who sent me and to finish His work,’ Jesus told them.” (John 4:31-34, emphasis mine)

The only water that will quench the thirst of our spirits is the water of eternal life.
The only food that will satisfy our starving souls is doing the Father’s will.
In fasting, we abandon the physical in pursuit of the eternal.

Finally, I know many believers who’ve chosen to fast from physical desires other than food. True fasting worshipers set aside that which has consistently pulled their attention away from God. They actively turn from idols in their lives and replace them with praying and reading God’s word.

Sisters, I encourage you to practice this spiritual discipline. Fasting is a powerful way to renew and refresh our relationship with God and deepen our faith and trust in Him. In fasting, we proclaim Christ as the sole-supplier of our greatest need, Himself.

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The GT Weekend! ~ Kneel Week 1

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The GT Weekend!

At Gracefully Truthful, weekends aren’t for “checking out”.
Use this time to invite the Almighty’s fullness into you life in a deeper way!
Saturdays and Sundays are a chance to
reflect, rest, and re-center our lives onto Christ.
Don’t miss the opportunity to connect with other women in prayer,
rest your soul in reflective journaling,
and spend time worshiping the Creator who
longs for intimacy with each of us!

Worship Through Journaling

Worship Through Journaling

1) As we enter this New Year, many of us have been in a season of feasting over the holidays. Feasting is a wonderful gift from the Lord, but we do well to remember the wise words of King Solomon, “There is… a time for every activity under heaven…”. (Ecclesiastes 3:1) Fasting is an often-neglected spiritual practice in our modern age. In our culture, we may perhaps fast for health benefits, but not often for spiritual gain. How might your spiritual practice benefit from a season of fasting? In what area of your life do you need a breakthrough? Perhaps it’s a struggle with sin, a decision you need to make, or a general spiritual reset? Following the examples of Ezra, Esther, and Jesus Himself, commit yourself to a time of prayer and fasting. Consider fasting from one meal every day for a week, and spend the time you would usually spend eating, praying about the breakthrough you desire. If you are unable to fast from food, fast instead from something that takes your time and attention (social media, television shows, fiction reading, etc.). Write down your requests and notice how God changes both your heart and your circumstances. He may not do what you expect, but He can do far more than you ask or think.

2) Do you know anyone who really seems to model a faithful, fierce prayer life? What characteristics seem most prominent about them as they carry themselves and engage with others? Do you sense their peace? Are they hurried or ready to embrace what happens because of an “other-worldliness” that pervades their person? When we make it our regular practice to interact and engage with the constantly-present-in-every-moment Holy God, He faithfully shapes His character within us. This becomes evident to those around us as Christ changes us from one degree of glory that reflects Him to the next! (2 Corinthians 3:18) Hezekiah modeled this kind of fierce faith and we are privileged to glimpse a small sliver in his humble, honest, yet breathtakingly bold prayer as he heard of the Assyrian’s impending attack on his people. Take 2 minutes to read through Hezekiah’s short prayer a few times, making note of the portions that stick out to you. (2 Kings 19:14-19) Why do those portions rise up in your heart? What would it look like it you cultivated the kind of relationship with the Almighty that supported this kind of conversation? Journal your thoughts and share them with a trusted friend as you talk about how to grow fierce faith in everyday life!

3) The Lord is faithful! He will do what He says He will do. We were reminded on Friday that trusting in God’s faithfulness requires courage and steadfastness. Sara gave us three practical steps to walk in the truth of God’s faithfulness: 1) Pray like Nehemiah did, 2) Believe the Lord will respond in His faithfulness, and 3) Surrender the outcome to the Lord. Which of these steps do you find most challenging? Maybe you don’t know how to start praying. Perhaps you want to believe, but you struggle with doubt. Or maybe you trust Him, but you also want to keep control over your circumstances. Whatever your struggle, God will meet you there. Try starting with praying Scripture back to God (see the scripture prayer below). Then tell Him what you are struggling with as if He were sitting in the room with you (because He is!). Then, like the father in Mark 9, ask the Lord to help you with your unbelief. Finally, rest in knowing that your faithful God controls all things. He will be faithful because that is His nature.

Praying Scripture back to the One who wrote it in the first place is a great way to jump start our prayer-life! Pray this passage from Psalm 145:17-21 back to the Lord and
let His Spirit speak to you through it!

The Lord is righteous
In all His ways
And faithful in all His acts.
The Lord is near all who call out to Him,
All who call out to Him
With integrity.
He fulfills the desires of those who fear Him;
He hears their cry for help
And saves them.
The Lord guards all those who love Him,
But He destroys all the wicked.
My mouth will declare
The Lord’s praise;
Let every living thing
Bless His holy name forever and ever.

Prayer Journal
Oh Lord of Hosts, You are rich in love and slow to anger. You have told Your people that whatever we ask in the name of Jesus, You will do. By Your Spirit, give us the steadfast persistence to ask of You what we need. Lord, You know the landscape of my life. You know where I desperately need Your help, provision, strength, and guidance. Give me faith when all hope seems lost. Give me endurance when the night seems long. Give me peace before You in every circumstance. I believe You are a God who answers prayer; oh Father, help my unbelief! I have been worried and anxious for many things, but You alone bring peace. Turn our hearts toward You both now and forever and help us hear Your voice as we seek Your face.

Worship Through Community

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Worship Through Prayer

Worship Through Music

Kneel Day 2 Restored Relationship: Digging Deeper

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Digging Deeper Days

Finding the original intent of Scripture and making good application to our everyday lives as we become equipped to correctly handle the Word of Truth!

Yesterday’s Journey Study connects with today’s!
Check out Restored Relationship!

The Questions

1) Where is Ezra traveling to and who is going with him?

2) What prompted Ezra to pray for a “safe journey”?

3) Why did Ezra fast and pray?

Ezra 8:21-23

21 I proclaimed a fast by the Ahava River, so that we might humble ourselves before our God and ask him for a safe journey for us, our dependents, and all our possessions. 22 I did this because I was ashamed to ask the king for infantry and cavalry to protect us from enemies during the journey, since we had told him, “The hand of our God is gracious to all who seek him, but his fierce anger is against all who abandon him.” 23 So we fasted and pleaded with our God about this, and he was receptive to our prayer.

Original Intent

1) Where is Ezra traveling to and who is going with him?
This passage is full of plural pronouns which tell us there are more travelers than Ezra alone. If we back up to Ezra 7:11-26, it is clear these verses are referring to any Israelites in captivity in Persia who desire to return to Jerusalem. King Artaxerxes declared, “Any of the Israelites in my kingdom, including their priests and Levites, who want to go to Jerusalem, may go with you.” (Ezra 7:13) The Israelites were being released from captivity to travel back to their homeland of Jerusalem. The Israelites, who choose to return, are headed back to the Promised Land, their inheritance from God as His chosen people. An inheritance they had been removed from because of their rebellion against the Lord God 70+ years prior.

2) What prompted Ezra to pray for a “safe journey”?
The journey the Israelites are embarking on is 900 miles as it stretches from ancient Babylon to Jerusalem. The trek would largely be made on foot, making it incredibly long with plenty of danger along the way. Ezra is fully aware of the risks he and his fellow Israelites will face, but, interestingly enough, he chooses not to ask the king for armed protection. (verse 22) Instead, he turns to the Almighty God, seeking protection for their journey. Ezra confidently knows God is more than able to provide exactly what they need and the challenges they will face.

3) Why did Ezra fast and pray?
Ezra knows God is the One allowing Israel’s return to their homeland of Jerusalem. God’s sovereignty supersedes all human rule and authority. He also is confident God will protect His people, but through his action of humble prayer and fasting, he also demonstrates his understanding that God desires His people to ask for their needs to be supplied through faith. As a result of Ezra’s leadership, the Israelites commit to fasting and prayer. This time of setting aside their physical desires through fasting allows them to spend uninterrupted time petitioning God to accomplish what only He can for His people. Through this act of intentional humility, the Israelites demonstrate faith in the God who provides, and they acknowledge God for Who He is and His all-powerful ability. Then, they choose to actively trust God to fulfill their requests.

Everyday Application

1) Where is Ezra traveling to and who is going with him?
The Israelites were provided the opportunity to go back home, but first, they must accept the invitation the king was offering. If they decided not to return with Ezra, they were actively choosing to remain in the same circumstances of exile they had been living in for most, if not all, of their lives. While our circumstances are much different than those of the Israelites, we are given a similar invitation. Jesus came to earth, died on the cross for our sins, and rose from the tomb, taking our punishment so we could have the opportunity to go Home with Him for eternity. However, we must choose to either accept the invitation provided in Jesus’ sacrifice or reject it. Rejection of Christ relegates us to the same status we already live with, active rebellion against God whose wrath we rightly incur because of our sin. Acceptance of His offer to forgive our sin completely and give us new life through His Spirit opens the door for us to go Home with Him just as Israel was free to go home to Jerusalem. Acceptance of this gift necessitates our true repentance and turning away from our sin.

2) What prompted Ezra to pray for a “safe journey”?
Ezra prays publicly for a safe journey after he makes the choice not to ask King Artaxerxes for armed protection. Verse 22 tells us he was ashamed to ask the king for infantry and cavalry because he had already told the king God would provide for them. Ezra’s confidence in God’s provision was sure and certain. We each face our own set of challenging journeys throughout our lives, and while ours likely won’t look anything like Ezra’s, we should look with confidence to the same God Ezra did. Only the One True God can provide safety for us along the journey we are walking. The dangers and temptations of this world bombard us on a daily basis and we have access to the One who can provide the safety we so desperately need; all we need to do is ask!

3)Why did Ezra fast and pray?
We face difficult times and situations in life just as the Israelites. When we do we should turn to the Creator of the Universe who holds everything in His sovereign hands. One effective way we can demonstrate this is through fasting and prayer. Jesus Himself spent 40 days fasting in the wilderness and praying to His Father. (Matthew 4) As there is no better example to follow than Jesus’, surely, we would not be so arrogant as to think we have no need for the humble disciplines of prayer and fasting. As Jesus fasted, He was tempted by Satan and His tactic for combatting temptation and fleeing sin was to wisely wield the truth of Scripture. When we fast, we are actively demonstrating a complete dependence on God and are provided with time and space to fill with prayer and meditating on His Word. We can follow Jesus’ example and use this time in Scripture and prayer to fight against the schemes of Satan. Instead of taking time to eat, we can spend those minutes in the presence of the Lord, denying ourselves physically and instead feasting on His Word and asking Him to accomplish what only He is able to do. As we face difficult times, sisters, let’s be challenged to turn to the God of the Universe through fasting and prayer, bringing our needs before the Only One able to provide all we will ever need.

What do YOU think?! Share Here!
Missing the connection to our other Journey Study?
Catch up with Restored Relationship!

Digging Deeper is for Everyone!

1) Take this passage (or any other passage).
2) Read it, and the verses around it,
several times
3) Write down your questions
as you think of them.
4) Ask specific culture related questions and be ready to dig around for your answers. Google them, use www.studylight.org, or look them up in a study Bible and read the footnotes (click on the little letters next to a word and it will show you
other related verses!). (www.esvbible.org)
5) Check your applications with other trusted Christians that you are in community with and embrace the fullness of God
in your everyday!

Digging Deeper Community

Share What You’ve Learned!
Pray Together!
Join us in the GT Facebook Community!

Our Current Study Theme!

This is Kneel Week One!
Don’t miss out on the discussion!
Sign up to receive every GT Journey Study!

Why Dig Deeper?

Finding the original meaning is a huge deal when we study Scripture and can make all the difference in our understanding as we apply God’s truths to our everyday lives.

In our modern-day relationships, we want people to understand our original intention as we communicate; how much more so between God and humanity?!

Here’s a little bit more on why we take Digging Deeper so seriously.

Study Tools

We love getting help while we study and www.studylight.org is one of many excellent resources, providing the original Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament) with an English translation.

Want to know more about a specific word in a verse? Click on “Strong’s Interlinear Bible” then click the word you’d like to study. Discover “origin”, “definition” and hear the original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!

Want more background? Click “Study Tools”, then pick a few commentaries to read their scholarly approach, keeping in mind that just because a commentary says it, doesn’t mean it’s true. (just like the internet :-))

Memorize It!

Download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!
Tap and hold on your mobile device to save.

Kneel Day 1 Restored Relationship

Leave a Comment

Read His Words Before Ours!

Esther 4
Ezra 8:21-23
Matthew 4:1-11

Kneel, Day 1

“Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: ‘Go and assemble all the Jews who can be found in Susa and fast for me [. . .] After that, I will go to the king[.]’” (Esther 4:15-16)

Caught between the impending genocide of her people and a potentially deadly reception by the king should she speak on their behalf, Queen Esther and her uncle, Mordecai, desperately need a miracle. And so, before Esther approaches the king, they fast and pray.

Yet, prayer and fasting don’t necessitate a miracle. We don’t manipulate God when we pray; instead, we rely on His good heart for us and declare our belief in His power.

So why do we keep praying and fasting?

The ultimate purpose of prayer and fasting is the restoration of our relationship with God. Prayer is an essential part of our spiritual lives. Just as none of us are exempt from the troubles of this world, none of us are exempt from the need to connect with, and hear from, the only One who has overcome the world. (John 16:33)

Though the struggles that draw us to prayer and fasting may differ, we can all embrace these practices with a desire to empty our hearts of earthly things so the Lord will pour out His Spirit and satisfy our spiritual hunger.

Throughout the Bible, God’s people pray and fast together because they are seeking God’s help and direction. In the opening vignette of our study, we met Mordecai, who, together with other Jews in the land, “fasted, wept, and lamented, and many lay in sackcloth and ashes” (Esther 4:3) as an expression of their anguish over the order to kill every Jew. Their actions signified both their grief and their cries to the Lord to protect them from execution.

Again, we don’t manipulate God with prayer and fasting, but we allow Him to work in and around us as we surrender through humble prayer. Esther’s response to Mordecai’s plea for intervention demonstrated her belief that the will of the Lord would come to pass. Esther clearly understands that fasting will not guarantee her safety in her final words to her cousin, “I will go to the king even if it is against the law. If I perish, I perish.” (Esther 4:16) Her words hold equally strong conviction to do what is right and to trust the Lord for her fate.

The Lord is good and just indeed! He responds to prayer and fasting! He promises if His people will seek Him, they will find Him. (2 Chronicles 7:14-15, Jeremiah 29:13) When we fast and pray, we encounter Him in a different, higher way.

This truth resonates in the continuation of Esther’s story. After seeking God’s heart through prayer and fasting, Esther enacted a careful, thoughtful plan to approach King Xerxes and plead for her people. (Esther 5) By the Lord’s grace, she found favor with the king, and she and her people were spared. Through God’s intervention, the Jews were saved and not forsaken. How beautiful is the aroma of prayer and fasting to the Lord!

Similarly, in Ezra 8:21-23, the priest Ezra led Israelites returning home from exile into prayer and fasting to seek God’s presence and protection. “So we fasted and pleaded with our God about this, and He was receptive to our prayer.” (Ezra 8:23)

And finally, as an epitome of humility and faith before the Lord, Jesus fasted. He acknowledged God’s power and strength alone would enable Him to carry out the Father’s will. Matthew 4 describes how Jesus fasted for 40 days and 40 nights. He was also tested by evil, but He overcame the temptation by the power of God dwelling within Him and relying on Scripture.

Jesus’ example demonstrates how prayer and fasting are powerful preparations for experiencing God deeply and outrageously!

From Jesus, we learn temptation and struggle may come, but if we are filled with God’s words and presence, we will overcome, just as Jesus did! Prayer and fasting are vital, as they bring us closer to God and remind us to trust Him.

From Mordecai, we learn we should not hesitate to engage in prayer and fasting.
When we see cries, pain, and injustice around us that are impossible for humans to resolve and only God can manage, we can turn to the One who is full of compassion and always capable! The Lord sees our faith, is delighted to hear from us, and is moving when we pray.

Let’s pray that the Lord will help us lead our people into prayer and fasting just as Mordecai did. Faith can rescue people when we come together!

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