A Day of Prayer and Fasting
There are times when forgoing something of comfort can help us look more clearly at our need for God. This is at the heart of fasting, which biblically refers to abstaining from food for spiritual purposes.
On Wednesday, March 24th, from sunup to sundown, we invite the Summit family to fast and pray. Please see below for some insight into why we are fasting together and important information on fasting safely.
Having not grown up a follower of Jesus, the first time I heard about fasting, it seemed odd to me. How does not eating help me connect with God? Jesus talks about banquets in heaven and often taught at dinner parties. Why should I skip out on a meal or two when food is the fuel to help me (hopefully) live and love like Jesus?
But even a cursory look at the Scriptures shows God’s people fasting and praying. In times when God’s people recognize they need him to show up, they fast and pray.
Moses fasted to prepare to hear from God (Exodus 34:28).
Nehemiah mourned, fasted, and prayed when he learned Jerusalem’s walls had been torn down and Jerusalem was vulnerable to attack (Nehemiah 1:1-4).
Ezra declared a corporate fast and prayed for a safe journey for the Israelites as they traveled the road back from exile in Babylon (Ezra 8:21-23).
David fasted mourning the loss of his son (2 Samuel 1:12).
Paul and Barnabas prayed and fasted for the elders of the churches they had planted before entrusting them to continue seeking and serving the Lord (Acts 14:23).
Jesus in the wilderness, in the face of temptation, fasted and prayed (Matthew 4:1-17).
Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount about fasting and assumed his followers would be in the practice of fasting. He taught, “when you fast”—not “if” but “when.” And his teaching encourages us not for the sake of others seeing how hard it is on us but for the sake of connecting to God through it. Basically, Jesus says keep yourself put together when you fast (Matthew 6:16-18).
Whether it is longing to hear from God, mourning loss, needing protection, seeking guidance, or beginning a new journey, the common thread is when God’s people need him to show up, they fast and pray.
And I should be clear; we don’t forgo food as a way of earning God’s love or forcing his hand to give us something for which we long. We don’t modify our behavior to somehow be more acceptable to God. It is actually the opposite. We are acceptable to God because he loves us. We modify our behavior to take time to intentionally focus on the One who is good. We sacrifice comfort temporarily to remember the One who sacrificed for us completely. In fasting, we forgo food for a period of time to focus on the One who already loves us right where we are and who we want to be more like.
There is nothing magical about fasting, but there is something miraculous about how much he loves us. And intentionally focusing on that can change us.
Guidelines and Safety
For some, fasting from food for extended periods of time is unhealthy. If that is the case for you, please don’t put your health at risk through fasting, but please join us in prayer throughout the day.
If you join us on Wednesday, March 24th for a church-wide fast from sunup to sundown, please stay hydrated by drinking extra water. It is easy to forget that a significant part of our hydration comes from the foods we eat, so that needs to be offset by drinking additional water.
And as we, together, walk through this time of fasting, my suggestion would be to use meal times to pray to the God we need to guide us and protect us (Proverbs 3:5-6, Deuteronomy 31:6).
Use moments of hunger to remember God is the great provider (1 Samuel 2:8, Matthew 6:25-34).
Use any discomfort to remember he is our strength and comforter (Psalm 27:13-14, John 16:33).
And turn those remembrances into prayers to God.
We desperately need God in this season in our church. And when God’s people recognize they need him to show up, they fast and pray.
If it is helpful for you, you can find prompts to follow throughout the day to guide your prayer here:
To end our fast, the Herndon, Lake Mary, and Waterford Campuses will be offering communion at 7:30 p.m. It will be available outdoors at each campus and will be a simple way to remember what God has done as we complete our day of prayer and fasting.
Garry Abbott is the Waterford Campus Pastor at Summit Church.