21 Days of Prayer & Fasting: Day 2
21 Days of Prayer & Fasting
Day 2 - Can fasting help us see?
In Matthew 4:2, we read that Jesus fasted forty days and forty nights. He went without eating for a long time! What happened next? A challenging visit from Satan to tempt him and weaken him!
Acts 14:23: “Paul and Barnabas appointed for them elders in each church and, with prayer and fasting, committed them to the Lord, in whom they had put their trust.”
In His human body, Jesus knew how important it was to spend time away from food, in order to focus more on His heavenly Father’s will and plan. This interlude sustained Him with the power to resist Satan. Paul and Barnabas knew that prayer and fasting were integral to commissioning new leaders and implementing decisions for the early church. When we transfer our physical hunger to hungering for time with God, He can help us to see His will for important decisions. He can also empower us with newfound strength to face temptations and challenges ahead. But fasting for the sake of fasting is not what God requires, nor is He impressed with the act, in itself. In Luke 18:12, we see the Pharisee boasting to Jesus, “I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.” Yet, Jesus knew that the Pharisee was just going through the motions of a ritual, and that his heart was far from God. Fasting that opens our eyes should be heartfelt, humble, and done with an open hand to genuinely receive the nourishment from our heavenly Father, for our good and the good of His Church.
Prayer: Lord, help me to remember that fasting should be voluntary and from a heart that genuinely desires time with you. Show me what I can give up, whether it be food, or anything I have in my life that is important to me, that I often prioritize over You. Help me to replace that meal or “thing” with a time spent in prayer, opening my eyes to Your will and truth. My heart is open to what you want to reveal to me. Amen.
In Matthew 4:2, we read that Jesus fasted forty days and forty nights. He went without eating for a long time! What happened next? A challenging visit from Satan to tempt him and weaken him!
Acts 14:23: “Paul and Barnabas appointed for them elders in each church and, with prayer and fasting, committed them to the Lord, in whom they had put their trust.”
In His human body, Jesus knew how important it was to spend time away from food, in order to focus more on His heavenly Father’s will and plan. This interlude sustained Him with the power to resist Satan. Paul and Barnabas knew that prayer and fasting were integral to commissioning new leaders and implementing decisions for the early church. When we transfer our physical hunger to hungering for time with God, He can help us to see His will for important decisions. He can also empower us with newfound strength to face temptations and challenges ahead. But fasting for the sake of fasting is not what God requires, nor is He impressed with the act, in itself. In Luke 18:12, we see the Pharisee boasting to Jesus, “I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.” Yet, Jesus knew that the Pharisee was just going through the motions of a ritual, and that his heart was far from God. Fasting that opens our eyes should be heartfelt, humble, and done with an open hand to genuinely receive the nourishment from our heavenly Father, for our good and the good of His Church.
Prayer: Lord, help me to remember that fasting should be voluntary and from a heart that genuinely desires time with you. Show me what I can give up, whether it be food, or anything I have in my life that is important to me, that I often prioritize over You. Help me to replace that meal or “thing” with a time spent in prayer, opening my eyes to Your will and truth. My heart is open to what you want to reveal to me. Amen.
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