Fasting and Prayer
Fasting and Praying together is a very effective way to seek God's will and to lay our petitions before Him. It doesn't seem like there are many Christians who practice fasting and praying today. However, there are many Biblical admonitions for us to fast, as well as pray, when we approach the Lord. That is exactly what Ezra the priest told the people of Israel to do, as they were preparing for their long dangerous journey to Jerusalem. They had families with children, and they were carrying a lot of valuables back to the temple, and there was no army to keep them safe. They were totally depending on the Lord, and He heard their prayer, so they arrived safely with all their possessions. (Ezra 8:21, 23) Let's see why this is important for us, too.
When we fast, we humble ourselves before the Lord. We are admitting that we are weak and unable to accomplish His perfect will. We are showing Him that we are willing to give up something that is very important to us to find out His will or receive His blessing. That humble sacrifice gets God's attention to listen to our sincere prayer even more than when we do not fast. Also, the fasting is a sign to God that we are facing a very serious situation, and we know the gravity of it. We deprive ourselves of food, not to punish our body, but to spare as much time for prayer as possible. When we fast and pray, our senses are heightened, as well. We are able to hear from the Lord better, because we are not sluggish from eating. Therefore, when God knows we can hear from Him better, He is even more willing to answer us.
A fast could be skipping one meal, or one day's worth of meals, or it could be up to a 40 day fast. In most cases, we do drink water and other fluids on longer fasts. The longer the fast the more we have to be careful, because we will be weaker physically, even though we spiritually benefit. I would urge all of us to fast and pray at those times that we have a great burden on our hearts. Seek the Lord about the length of the fast, and use the extra time to plead with God. I believe it will be a great blessing. I know it has been for me.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Ezra 9-10 and Nehemiah 1.
When we fast, we humble ourselves before the Lord. We are admitting that we are weak and unable to accomplish His perfect will. We are showing Him that we are willing to give up something that is very important to us to find out His will or receive His blessing. That humble sacrifice gets God's attention to listen to our sincere prayer even more than when we do not fast. Also, the fasting is a sign to God that we are facing a very serious situation, and we know the gravity of it. We deprive ourselves of food, not to punish our body, but to spare as much time for prayer as possible. When we fast and pray, our senses are heightened, as well. We are able to hear from the Lord better, because we are not sluggish from eating. Therefore, when God knows we can hear from Him better, He is even more willing to answer us.
A fast could be skipping one meal, or one day's worth of meals, or it could be up to a 40 day fast. In most cases, we do drink water and other fluids on longer fasts. The longer the fast the more we have to be careful, because we will be weaker physically, even though we spiritually benefit. I would urge all of us to fast and pray at those times that we have a great burden on our hearts. Seek the Lord about the length of the fast, and use the extra time to plead with God. I believe it will be a great blessing. I know it has been for me.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Ezra 9-10 and Nehemiah 1.