Safe Journey

Ezra 8:16-21 - So I summoned Eliezer, Ariel, Shemaiah, Elnathan, Jarib, Elnathan, Nathan, Zechariah and Meshullam, who were leaders, and Joiarib and Elnathan, who were men of learning, and I ordered them to go to Iddo, the leader in Kasiphia. I told them what to say to Iddo and his fellow Levites, the temple servants in Kasiphia, so that they might bring attendants to us for the house of our God. Because the gracious hand of our God was on us, they brought us Sherebiah, a capable man, from the descendants of Mahli son of Levi, the son of Israel, and Sherebiah’s sons and brothers, 18 in all; and Hashabiah, together with Jeshaiah from the descendants of Merari, and his brothers and nephews, 20 in all. They also brought 220 of the temple servants—a body that David and the officials had established to assist the Levites. All were registered by name. 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.


Psalm 5:8 - Lead me, LORD, in your righteousness because of my enemies—make your way straight before me.

Psalm 27:11 - Teach me your way, LORD; lead me in a straight path because of my oppressors.

Proverbs 3:5-6 - Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.

Application:

· Does God so direct me that my enemies have no grounds for malicious accusations?
· Do I know the Lord’s will? Do I do the Lord’s will? I cannot expect favorable response to my prayers if I am not knowing and doing the Lord’s will
· Am I ever mindful of God? Do I serve Him with a willing and faithful heart? If I am, He will remove the obstacles from my pathway and bring me to my appointed goal.

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

How Long Will Your Journey Take

Nehemiah 2:4-8 - The king said to me, “What is it you want?” Then I prayed to the God of heaven, and I answered the king, “If it pleases the king and if your servant has found favor in his sight, let him send me to the city in Judah where my ancestors are buried so that I can rebuild it.” Then the king, with the queen sitting beside him, asked me, “How long will your journey take, and when will you get back?” It pleased the king to send me; so I set a time. I also said to him, “If it pleases the king, may I have letters to the governors of Trans-Euphrates, so that they will provide me safe-conduct until I arrive in Judah? And may I have a letter to Asaph, keeper of the royal park, so he will give me timber to make beams for the gates of the citadel by the temple and for the city wall and for the residence I will occupy?” And because the gracious hand of my God was on me, the king granted my requests.

Nehemiah 5:14 - Moreover, from the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, until his thirty-second year—twelve years—neither I nor my brothers ate the food allotted to the governor.

Luke 23:43 - Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

Revelation 2:7 - Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.

Hosea 4:13 - They sacrifice on the mountaintops and burn offerings on the hills, under oak, poplar and terebinth, where the shade is pleasant. Therefore your daughters turn to prostitution and your daughters-in-law to adultery.

Application:

· Do I sacrifice what is normally mine in order to serve as an example to others?
· When I die, will I be in paradise with Jesus?
· Will I or have I overcome? Will I be restored to the perfect fellowship that existed before sin entered the world?
· Are there things in my life that have led to moral erosion?

All Scripture verses taken from NIV