Why Pray and Fast?
Why are we setting aside 21 days for prayer and fasting? Read these statements and the scriptural references. Let these Biblical passages speak to us in the quiet moments of our day.
TO LISTEN TO THE LORD: He speaks, and we stop, look, and listen. Job 23:12, “I have not departed from the commands of his lips; I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my daily bread.”
TO KEEP OPEN THE LINES OF COMMUNICATION WITH GOD: He answers our prayer. Ezra 8:23, “So we fasted and petitioned our God about this, and he answered our prayer.”
TO MOVE FORWARD IN OUR MINISTRY CALL: We are praying for our mission to bring salvation to our family, friends, and community. Acts 13:2-3, “While they were worshipping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them. So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off. The two of them, sent on their way by the Holy Spirit, went down to Seleucia and sailed from there to Cyprus.”
TO SEEK GOD’S WISDOM AND DIVINE DIRECTION FOR OUR COMMUNITY, NATION, AND WORLD: We want to live well before the Lord. Daniel 9:2-7, “So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes. I prayed to the LORD my God and confessed…”
TO ASK FOR THE LORD’S DELIVERANCE: We hope to see the Lord’s justice, freedom, and liberty. Isaiah 58:6, “Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke?”
TO PRAY FOR HEALING: We are coming to the Lord, asking Him to heal and restore us. Psalm 35:13, “Yet when they were ill, I put on sackcloth and humbled myself with fasting.”
TO ASK FOR GOD’S PROTECTION: We need the Lord’s covering and safety as we journey through this anxious and fearful time. Ezra 8:21, “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.”
TO BECOME CLOSER TO GOD (SANCTIFY): We need to stay connected to the Lord. Jonah 3:5-7, “The Ninevites believed God. They declared a fast, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth. When the news reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, took off his royal robes, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat down in the dust. Then he issued a proclamation in Nineveh: By the decree of the king and his nobles: Do not let any man or beast, herd or flock, taste anything; do not let them eat or drink.”
In what ways can we integrate these passages and statements into our future? How might we apply this passage to our lives? How can we practice the presence of the Lord as we meditate and reflect on these thoughts?
Together We Are Much Better!
With Love and Prayer,
Pastor Steve