As we navigate the murky waters of this season of life we find ourselves in, something that has impressed me as being a BIT more important and relevant than I realized it was is the spiritual discipline of fasting.
From the earliest stories in the OT, to the early church in Acts, through church history to contemporary times, we have an abundance of evidence that God’s people approach trials, tribulations, national emergencies, impending attack or disasters as an opportunity to cry out, and seek His guidance, healing, deliverance, forgiveness, and protection among other things!
Daniel fasted and received revelation about the future of his nation. Hannah sought God in fasting and prayer for the desire of her heart, and He gave her one of the greatest leaders in the Old Testament. Moses was a rock star in this discipline and after 40 days (twice) He got to see, hear and experience God while everyone else got a cloud and pillar.
Isaiah laid out a pretty awesome explanation for why God called us to fast and what it accomplishes for His purposes.
Ezra proclaimed a corporate fast for protection, Esther did as well as she confronted their impending destruction. Jesus recommends it. In Acts the church fasted and prayed corporately before making big decisions to seek God’s will, not their own.
John Wesley marveled as it averted disaster in London in 1756. King George VI called for a day of prayer and fasting before the miracle of Dunkirk. Thomas Aquinas found it noble. Martin Luther
I think my favorite example of corporate prayer and fasting right now is in 2 Chronicles 20- I love this story! This is the Christa paraphrase, but the full story is here.
Jehoshaphat gets word that his nation is in grave danger from 3 different armies. The armies of Pandemic, Financial Collapse and Conflict and Division. (Kidding! Moabites, Ammonites and the inhabitants of Mt. Seir-way more terrifying)
It says he was afraid, AND he set himself to seek the Lord. So he proclaims a fast to cry out for help for his country, and I love his prayer, because you can just hear him looking up, not around.
He cries out and says, "You are God, right, and you are bigger than this threat, right? You rule over all the kingdoms of all the nations, You hold power and might in your hand, so this isn’t too big for You, right?
You’ve helped us before, so (v 9) if disaster comes upon us-judgment, pestilence, famine, recessions, pandemics (ok last 2 I added!)…. (vs 12) we will stand before you and cry out in our affliction and You will hear and save. We have no power against everything coming against us, nor do we know what to do…..but our eyes are upon You."
The next verse says men, women and children were standing before the Lord (I take that as a corporate posture of seeking, knocking, inquiring), and THEN the Spirit came, and spoke reassurance as well as strategy and guidance and a promise.
They bow low, they worship and praise Him, they believe Him, did what He said, and then watched as their enemies turned and completely destroyed each other! They just got to march in and take the spoils of God’s victory over their lives. I love that it says they return home with joy. And his realm was quiet, for his God gave him rest all around.
Friends, are you discouraged? Do you feel trapped from all sides? Are you afraid of what you’re reading, hearing, seeing or experiencing? Are you concerned about what could happen next? Do you long for change? Do you long to see bonds break, oppressed go free, light to shine in dark places, truth to expose lies?
Me too. This is my invitation to us to be like Jehoshaphat. We might be afraid, but may we set ourselves-RESOLVE to seek the Lord! Because He is found by those who seek Him. (Deut 4:29, Is 55:6, Lam 3:25, Jer 29:13, Mt 7:7)
We will find what we are looking for….
We have a unique hope because we get to look up, not just around at the mess around us. My hardest days are the ones where I don’t look up, and I let my circumstances, my fears, my emotions, or my news feed inform me of how I’m doing.
So, please consider joining me every Friday, to inquire of the Lord- to mourn, to grieve, to repent, to cry out, to ask, to listen, to hear, to respond to all that our God is up to in this time.
Because I promise you, He is up to something redemptive. Even if we don’t see it, feel it or believe it, He’s on the move. And I want to stand with Him and witness all that He can accomplish even when it feels like hope is just beyond our reach. When it feels like we’re surrounded, we’re trapped. Lift up your heads! The King of Glory is coming- strong and mighty! (Ps 24:7-10)
For the sake of brevity (or my attempt at it anyway!), if you’re interested in joining me and want to email me, please do! I’d love to hear from you as we as a staff and vestry ask the Lord for help.
In hope,
Christa Vickers-Smith
Care Team Coordinator
