Read Ezra 8.
Ezra faced a 900 mile journey from Babylon to Jerusalem. His mission was to teach and serve those Jews who returned from the exile. Including all the Levites, priests and their families, the number of those who accompanied him would easily be in the thousands. They carried millions of dollars worth of gold, silver and bronze. The group gathered at the Babylonian canal of Ahava for three days to prepare.
Here are the steps he used before setting out on the mission:
1. To accomplish the mission, the right leaders needed to be in place. He realized that leading the return and ministering to a nation of people were too much for one man. He needed solid leaders around him; men of insight and discretion.
2. To accomplish the mission, everyone needed to be spiritually prepared. Ezra proclaimed a fast "that we might humble ourselves before our God, to seek from him a safe journey for ourselves, our children, and all our goods." They used this time to pray to the LORD "and he listened to our entreaty."
3. To accomplish the mission, the resources were handled with great stewardship and accountability. Twelve leading priests were charged with that responsibility.
4. To accomplish the mission, God protected them along the way. "...he delivered us from the hand of the enemy..."
Right leaders. Prayer and fasting. Great stewardship and accountability. God's protection. Those elements will work for any achievement for God.
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