21 Days of Fasting and Prayer Devotional: Mountains Will Move!Egzanp

Day 20: God Will Do More!

The Israelites had been held in captivity by the Babylonians for over seventy years, exiled from their homes and the land God had given them. After decades of displacement and servitude to foreign kings, something remarkable happened. A rival king, Cyrus of Persia, captured the Babylonian territory, including Jerusalem. Then miraculously, he let the Israelites return home. We learn in the book of Nehemiah that when the Israelites returned home, the city was in great disrepair.

Nehemiah hears about the condition of the city and is grieved by the report. He plans to take his request to the king to help repair the walls of Jerusalem but knows if the king is displeased with his request, he could lose his position as cupbearer and even face execution. Nehemiah is desperate for a favorable response from the king, so he fasts and prays.

Nehemiah 1:4 says, “As soon as I heard these words I sat down and wept and mourned for days, and I continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven.”

Nehemiah’s praying and fasting resulted in an unprecedented response from the king. Not only did the king allow him to go help in the repair, but he also sends security and timber with him to help with the reconstruction!

God delights to do more than we can ask or imagine, especially when we choose to humble ourselves and pray. You can rest assured that not only is God going to answer as you continue to seek him, but he’s also going to answer in even bigger and better ways than you could have ever thought possible!