Day One: Fast and Pray
I’m
a Christian and I like to begin all adventures with fasting and praying. You
may have just rolled your eyes, but before you pretend gag yourself and think
I’m going to go all religious and weird on you, let me explain what fasting is,
why I do it, and what fasting most definitely is not. Then I would ask you all
to join me in a time of fasting and prayer.
1.
What is fasting?
Abstaining from food and drink for a period of time.
To draw closer to God,
To ask for direction,
To ask God to meet a specific need.
Please note, this is not a command to fast, but a hope that you would link hearts with me before we embark. Here is a short list of people in the Bible who have inspired me to fast in times of need: Jesus, the Disciples, Esther, King Jehoshaphat.
When I fast, I can
typically fast and pray for a whole day. Honestly, I find it very difficult to
set aside more than an entire day to fast and pray without getting super
grouchy and losing the whole point for fasting in the first place. I only drink
water when I fast—no food, no smoothies, and no sugar free food. I also try not
to do any strenuous activity when I fast because then my blood sugar drops
dramatically and then I turn into a big ol’ mess.
I have fasted for a
variety of reasons. I have fasted for help with finances, career decisions, and
battles with emotions, etc. I fast as a way to take some time to stop, quiet
everything going on in my head, and to symbolically tell God that He is all I
need to sustain me. It is my way of telling him that I believe that He will
provide all of my needs, both spiritual and physical. I don’t think of fasting
as a magic potion or super salve for all of my problems, but it does give me a
timeout to look at my problems from a new perspective. It often gives me direction
on how to face them. It does give me a hope that God hears me and will send me
help to get through!
STOP AND STAND STILL SO YOU CAN see and hear from god
II Chronicles 20
King Jehoshaphat got some seriously bad news and
called a community fast. The bad news: A foreign invasion army was headed his
way. He had some choices: Panic, Terror, Fear, Running Away, Offering a
Surrender in exchange for mercy… the list goes on. Instead he chose to call a
community fast. The kingdom assembled with their wives, children, and families.
(v.13) This is a little bit of what they’re prayer sounded like, “O our God, won’t you
stop them? We are powerless against this mighty army that is about to attack
us. We do not know what to do, but we are looking to you for help.” (v.12, NLT)
Encouragement came very quickly. A man standing in the crowd, Jahaziel, had the
honor of speaking the word of encouragement. He said, “Listen, all you people of
Judah and Jerusalem! Listen, King Jehoshaphat! This is what the LORD says: Do not be afraid! Don’t be discouraged by this
mighty army, for the battle is not yours, but God’s.” (v.15 NLT). He then
proceeded to tell the assembly what to do next. “But you will not even need to
fight. Take your positions; then stand still and watch the LORD’s
victory. He is with you, O people of Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid or
discouraged. Go out against them tomorrow, for the LORD
is with you!” (v.17)
Even though many of you are probably not facing
an invading army, your everyday problems may feel like an invading army. So
before we tackle dreams, goals, and planning them out, we are going to stop as
a group and assemble for a big dose of encouragement and direction from God. In
asking for encouragement and direction, that doesn’t necessarily mean the
problem goes away, but it does give us a glimpse into God’s heart. “Stand still
and watch the Lord’s Victory.” Part of fasting is allowing yourself a moment to stand
still and watch for the Lord. When you’ve stopped and are standing still you
are in a better position to hear God and to actually see what He is doing and
will do.
You may be fresh out of ideas as to how you are
going to fix this or you’ve already tried to overcome your problems on your
own. This time you don’t have to. We are going to start with a community
fast/prayer fest and rely on God before we undertake any new adventure.
MOTIVATION CHECK: READ ISAIAH 58 and
MATTHEW 6
1.
Do
not fast out of false piety. 2. Do not fast to beat yourself up for past sins.
3. Do not walk around miserable and disheveled (Matt 6: 16, NLT)
4. Do not fast as a way to lose weight.
5. Do not fast as a sort of magic potion to get God to give you what you want.
Do wash your face and comb your hair. Do keep praying all day.
Do what you can do. If you cannot fast because of health reasons, then set
aside the day for prayer.
The goal is to stop and be still before taking another step
forward.
So
my dear readers please take a moment to bow your head with me and pray:
Dear
Heavenly Father,
Thank you
for this opportunity to link hearts and pray. I pray that those who do not have
a personal relationship with you, that they would come to know you. I lift up
every person who is reading this to you. I ask you to speak into their life, to
deal with the issues of their heart, and to honor this time of fasting and
prayer. I pray that you would direct and guide us over these next 31 days and
into the future. I pray that we would not allow fear, discouragement, and
anxiety to take hold, but instead that we would take a moment to stop, stand
still, let go of our own resources, and rely on you. Help us as we prepare to
DREAM, PLAN, AND DO. In your name we pray.
Amen.
(or as my friend says, Yay Jesus!)
To Read 31 Days of Dream. Plan. Do. from the beginning click here.
