40 days of prayer - day 3

Day 3 - The Power of Fasting

Author: Anonymous 

"Is this the kind of fast I have chosen, only a day for people to humble themselves? Is it only for bowing one’s head like a reed and for lying in sackcloth and ashes? Is that what you call a fast, a day acceptable to the Lord? “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? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter— when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard. Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I. If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk, and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday. The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail." Isaiah 58:5-11 NIV

"When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Matthew 6:16-21

I began the process of writing this with an enormous amount of words of advice swirling in my mind. 

"Don’t be alarmed at normal physiological alarm bells!"

"We should be doing more fasting and praying and less wishing and hoping."

"You can’t divorce prayer from fasting."

"Fasting and serving go hand in hand."

"Fasting is an intimate moment with God, and like any intimate moment, you wouldn’t open the curtains and let every passer-by witness it."

And I’d love to discuss all of that. I’ve done a lot of research lately on this topic and feel convicted about it, so of course my internal dialogue is chattering away about it. But I feel like the most important encouragement I can offer today is just: 

Do it. And set aside that time to wait upon the Lord.

Fasting is a gift we give to the Lord. A sacrifice. I love the term my best friend used when we were discussing it, "Worth-ship. God is worthy of your fast. More worthy of your attention than food."

If you give up one meal and spend that time with Him, you’re fasting. Turn everything off. Go for a walk or go to the secret place where you like to meet with Him. He sacrificed Jesus to have that with you. James says He is (rightly) jealous of the spirit He placed within us. Is that relationship two sided? I hope so! God is so full of good things. And He paid the ultimate price to bridge the gap between us and Him so that we can have a loving relationship with Him.

He promises His people that if they will eliminate all gossip and malicious talk from their tongues, if they go out and serve others, if they use their time and means as a sacrifice to Him while they fast, then He will make them a well watered garden, with waters that won’t fail and that He will guide them. And Jesus promised that what they do in secret will be rewarded by God and in the very next paragraph he admonishes them not to worry about storing up treasures on earth because they won’t last, but to store up treasures in heaven. I’ve read both scriptures before, but today I realized the proximity and I don’t think that was a change of topic.

It’s so easy to focus on what we get out of fasting. "God will listen to me if I pray while I’m fasting!" "God will reward my fast with xyz!"

But fasting is a devotion. It’s an offering. A gift. A gift to a God who has already given us the ultimate gift. We can’t top that. But we can worship the God who is worthy of more than we can ever offer Him. And He loves it when we do. He hears! He sees! He puts our gift on the fridge where everyone can see it because it is so sweet to Him.

So, I just want to encourage you today: Just start. If you don’t know where to start, start with the Bible. Start with time alone with God. Start with the psalmist’s, "Create in me a clean heart, Oh God, and renew a right spirit within me." (Psalm 51:10) Tell Him, like Isaiah "Here I am, Lord. Send me," (Isaiah 6:8) and He’ll lead you from there.

"Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." (Matthew 6:33)

"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled." (Matthew 5:6)

"Draw close to God and He will draw close to you." (James 4:8)

Prayer:

Heavenly Father,We come before You today with hearts full of gratitude for the incredible gift of Your love and sacrifice. Thank You for the ultimate gift of Jesus, and for the opportunity to draw near to You through fasting and prayer. We humbly offer ourselves to You, seeking to honor You in all that we do. Help us to approach fasting not as a duty, but as a devoted offering, a way to surrender our will and give You the place of highest worth in our lives.

Lord, show us how to fast with sincerity, not for show, but in the secret place where only You see our hearts. Teach us to serve others in love, to bring justice to the oppressed, and to share what we have with the hungry. May our lives be a reflection of Your light, and may You guide us like a well-watered garden, strong and steadfast in Your presence.

We trust that as we seek You first, You will fill our hearts, guide our steps, and reward us in Your perfect way. May we continually hunger and thirst for righteousness, and may our lives bring glory to Your name.

In Jesus’ name we pray,

Amen.