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One True God

Kneel Day 2 Restored Relationship: Digging Deeper

January 4, 2022 by Shannon Vicker Leave a Comment

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

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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.

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.

Posted in: Digging Deeper, Faith, Gift, God, Holy Spirit, Humility, Inheritance, Journey, Prayer, Protection, Relationship, Restored, Safe, Trust Tagged: All-powerful, ask, desire, Ezra, fasting, Fulfill, intentional, kneel, One True God, provide

The GT Weekend Worship IX Week 3

December 4, 2021 by Marietta Taylor 1 Comment

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) Jesus said, “…True worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and in truth.” (John 4:23) Does that make you wonder if there are “fake” worshippers? Looking at Scripture, I would say yes. In Monday’s Journey Study we saw that worshipping in spirit means we are tuned into and obeying the Holy Spirit living within us. Worshipping in truth means our adoration flows out of knowing His Word and His identity as the unchanging One True God.  Consider some ways you can sharpen your ears to hear from the Holy Spirit? How might you begin putting these into practice starting this weekend? Another side to truth is intention. Worship cannot be like a cloak, used to cover the stain of our sin. We must truly be cleansed to be considered true worshippers. Have there been times when you were a “fake” worshipper? What steps did you take to return to the heart of true worship? What are some ways you can move worship from just “Sunday mornings during church” to the everyday moments of your life? Revisit the Journey Theme Character to remind yourself of the character of the God we serve and worship. Journal something new you learn about God, or are especially thankful for, each day this next week!

2) Did you know that many worship songs are based on Scripture? Does anyone else besides me pause at a passage or verse and start singing the associated song? Brenda taught us that even though songs can tug at our emotions, the most powerful songs are those which sing Scripture back to God. What better way to worship Him than to echo His words? Journal the names of some songs that are based on Scripture, adding the passage or verse and why it resonates with you. A beautiful aspect of worship is how it boasts about God. Who better to boast about?! King David even realized this when he wrote in Psalm 5:11, “…may those who love Your name boast about You”. Spend time this weekend looking up some of God’s promises. How do they spur you on to boast about Him? Recall some hard situations God has seen you through. If you haven’t boasted about His goodness and faithfulness to you during those times, use this weekend to do just that.

3) In Friday’s journey, Paula took us on a stunning journey through the Old Testament, pointing out “I AM” in many chapters and stories. We’re then transported to the New Testament where I AM came to dwell among us in the person of Jesus Christ. If we worship Him for nothing else, this would be a sufficient reason. But even more so, He not only dwelt among us, but also redeemed us by taking our place as the ultimate sacrificial Lamb. Revelation 5 tells us all of Heaven will worship the Lamb. Can you think of anything better than focusing your worship on God? Revisit Worship VII, which focuses on God’s wondrous glory! Pick one day from each week of Worship VII (or more if you’re feeling ambitious!) and journal your thoughts on that day’s topic.

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 1:15-17 back to the Lord and
let His Spirit speak to you through it!

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For everything was created by him, in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities— all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and by him all things hold together.

Prayer Journal
Father God, I think of the song that talks about “going back to the heart of worship”. I confess the times I’ve made worship about me and my preferences. Only true worship focuses on You because it’s about You in every aspect. I pray I can focus on Your unchanging character so I’m always mindful of how holy, great, and deserving You are of all my worship. May I remember Your faithfulness toward me even in the face of my unfaithfulness. As I live my daily life, I want others to see me worshipping You by the things I do and say, in the small choices and the big ones. Let my internal thoughts also contribute to a lifestyle of worship for You desire truth in every inmost place. (Psalm 51:6) You, God, are the One True God who has redeemed me from all my rebellious sin. I will worship You in spirit and truth because only You are worthy of that kind of whole-life praise.

Worship Through Community

Can we pray for you? Reach Out! We’d love to pray for and with you!
Send us an email at prayer@gracefullytruthful.com

Build community, be transparent, and encourage others:
Share how God spoke to you today!
Comment Here or in our Facebook Community Group!

Worship Through Prayer

Worship Through Music

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Posted in: Character, Christ, Faithfulness, God, GT Weekend, Jesus, Power, Promises, Scripture, Truth, Worship Tagged: adoration, father, glory, goodness, I Am, One True God, spirit, Surrendered, wonder, Word

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  • The GT Weekend! ~ Whole Week 1 June 25, 2022
    How often have you wished you could just run away and hide? There have been many moments like that for me. It sounds so easy and freeing to hide from the difficulties and stresses of everyday life. The post The GT Weekend! ~ Whole Week 1 appeared first on Gracefully Truthful.
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