I had her perched on our kitchen island and I asked her the question (not knowing what kind of answer, if any, I was going to receive), “Hattie, what are YOU going to wear to church today?”  She looked up at me with her beautiful, big brown eyes and peanut butter and jelly spread all over her face and emphatically replied, “JESUS!”  I stood there stunned, speechless, silent.  Then it hit me – was I going to “wear Jesus” today?  Conviction rolled over me, because I don’t “wear Him” everyday.  Was I going to wear Jesus today?  Not just at church where it is easy.  What about the rest of the week, where it is not easy?

In the Book of Colossians it says, “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourself with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.  Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another.  Forgive as the Lord forgave you.  And overall these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity” (3:12-14).  Jesus is love (1 John 4:16) and that love is perfect and complete.  And by us abiding in Christ and Him living in us, his transforming power takes the “grave clothes” of death (John 11:44) off from us and dresses us in His righteousness, contrary to the attitudes of this world.

God is perfect in His timing.  And today He used this two-year-old little girl to speak into my life in a massive way.  I thank God over and over for placing her in my life. And today He used her as a vessel for speaking a challenge that I will remember, keep and live out, by God’s grace and power (because He desires for me to change) for the rest of my life.  What the Lord was saying to me through her was, “Clothe yourself in the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature” (Romans 13:14).

One day at a time, we must ask ourselves, “What am I going to wear today?”  Christ has a wardrobe picked out for us and it is to change into His likeness (2 Corinthians 3:18).  The question is, “Will we open the doors of change?”  He will give us white clothes (sinless and spotless because of His righteousness) to wear (Revelation 3:18) that we need never be ashamed of.

God delights in answering the prayers of his children!

Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!” (Matthew 7:7-11)

God loves it when we pray for others!
“Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.” (Ephesians 6:18)

“I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior.” (1 Timothy 2:1-3)

Nothing is too big or too small to bring to God in prayer!
“’Have faith in God,’ Jesus answered. ‘I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, “Go, throw yourself into the sea,” and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.’” (Mark 11:22-24)

“Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7)

Prayer is aligning our desires with God’s desires
Jesus taught us to pray, “May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:10 NLT) In prayer, we’re not trying to convince God to do something he doesn’t want to do. Instead, we want to know his will and pray accordingly. “And we are confident that he hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases him. And since we know he hears us when we make our requests, we also know that he will give us what we ask for.” (1 John 5:14-15 NLT)

Jesus modeled this attitude in prayer when he prayed on the night he was betrayed, “‘My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.’ Then Jesus left them a second time and prayed, ‘My Father! If this cup cannot be taken away unless I drink it, your will be done.’” (Matthew 26:39 & 42 NLT)

God encourages us to pray for healing
Both Jesus’ ministry and that of the apostles and early church were marked by physical healing (see Luke 7:22; 9:2; 10:8-9; Acts 3:1-11). God often heals and performs miracles to authenticate the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ (Acts 14:3; Hebrews 2:3-4). And in 1 Corinthians 12 we find that God has given some to the church family who have the gift of healing (1 Corinthians 12:4-11).

Also, the preaching of the Kingdom of God attends to the whole person and every aspect of a person’s life: spiritual, intellectual, social and physical. This does not mean that God always chooses to heal, but he often does. Therefore, we should pray for healing with the expectation that God wants to heal and will heal.

James writes, “Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective” (James 5:14-16)

God also challenges us to endure hardship patiently
Our heavenly Father loves us profoundly and always seeks what’s best for us, whether this means healing us from a sickness, disease or injury or giving us the grace to trust him and make much of him through suffering. In either case, we must trust him, be firmly rooted and grow in our relationship with him.

Right before the passage above on healing, James urges us, “Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord’s coming…as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. As you know we consider blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.” (James 5:7, 10-11)

Know that patiently enduring suffering, trial and persecution often requires greater faith than that to be healed. (See Romans 5:3; 12:12; Philippians 4:6-7; 2 Corinthians 12:7-10; Hebrews 11:35-40; 12:7-13 and James 1:2-4.)

© 2009 Rob Fischer

Spend time in the Word

• Select a short New Testament letter (e.g., Galatians, Philippians, 1 Peter, etc.) and read it through in one sitting. Ask God to meet with you, speak to you and teach you.
• Select a passage, story or short book from the Old Testament and do the same. Or review some of your favorite Psalms and simply hang out with God as you do.

Converse with God

• Maintain a running conversation with the Lord throughout the day. Psalm 105:4
• Ask him to lead you in this experience with him today. Let him minister to you.
• Listen to him. Spend time simply listening. Avoid the drive to be doing something besides listening! Psalm 46:10
• Take time to worship, praise, thank and enjoy him! Psalm 100
• Rehearse with him all he’s done for you, your family and our church family. Give him all the credit (glory) for all good things in your life. Psalm 16:2
• Ask him to reveal areas in your life that are not pleasing to him and that he wants to change. Then ask him for a strategy for partnering with him in dependent diligence to tackle that issue or issues. Psalm 139:23-24
• Review your relationship with the Lord. How do you treat him? How do you daily pursue deeper relationship with him? Psalm 86:11; Psalm 139
  > Is there anyone you need to forgive? Do it! Psalm 86:5
  > Is there anyone whose forgiveness you need to ask? Do it!
  > Assess your relationships with your spouse, children and family. Are there changes God wants you to make in your attitudes and behaviors? How can you demonstrate your love and care for them?
  > Assess your relationships with your friends, co-workers and neighbors. Are there changes God wants you to make in your attitudes and behaviors?  How can you demonstrate God’s love to them? Psalm 78:72
  > Assess your relationships with the church family. Are there changes God wants you to make in your attitudes and behaviors? How can you build a spirit of unity and love among them? In what ways are you serving others, showing them Christ’s love? 1 Peter 4:10
  > Ask God, “How can I demonstrate your great love to someone today?”
• What God-sized goals does God want you to trust him for? Psalm 81:10

Additional options

• Read a portion from a stimulating Christian book.
• Listen to a message from a pastor.
• Listen to worship music and/or sing and play an instrument to the Lord.
• Engage in a fast of your choosing.
• Journal what God is telling you throughout the day.

Debrief with a spiritual partner
Within a day or two of completing the above experience, debrief your experience with a spiritual partner. Ask them to keep you accountable to follow through with assignments God has given you. Ask your spiritual partner to pray with and for you.

© Rob Fischer 2009

I find that statement to be one of the saddest and most distressing pronouncements in the Bible. I used to attribute the scarcity of God’s words in those days to his sovereign choice. I thought that for whatever reason God didn’t have much to say at that time. Now I believe I was grossly mistaken. I’ve come to recognize that God’s words are never lacking. God is speaking to us through a variety of means, but for one reason or another many of us are not hearing him.

In the case of Eli the priest, he treated his wayward sons with more respect than he did God (1 Samuel 2:29). Although Eli disapproved of his sons’ immoral motivations and actions, he did nothing to put an end to it. And in so doing, Eli scorned God’s sacrifices and offerings, dishonored him and despised him. By his actions, Eli refused to listen to God, so God spoke to him through an unnamed man of God (1 Samuel 2:27) and through the little boy, Samuel.

Samuel came to live with Eli and his family as a very young child. One would think that being raised in the home of a priest of God would provide one with firm training in relationship with God. But this was not the case in Eli’s home, for we’re told that young Samuel did not yet know the Lord (1 Samuel 3:7). Yet at this tender, young age, God introduced himself to Samuel and spoke with him. Jesus reminds us in the New Testament that we must all come to God as little children—humble and open to him (Matthew 18:1-4).

Although little Samuel did not at first recognize God’s voice, Eli had the presence of mind to instruct Samuel to simply listen to God. So, upon hearing his voice again, Samuel humbly responded, “Speak, for your servant is listening.” (1 Samuel 3:10) Now, there is hearing and there is listening. When it comes to the word of God, hearing without heeding is self-deception (James 1:22). Many hear from God and equate the hearing with relationship with him. But listening to God with the intent to obey demonstrates true intimacy in relationship with him.

Samuel responded in humble submission to God’s word and as a result, “the Lord was with him” and continued to speak to Samuel regularly and frequently for the rest of his life (1 Samuel 3:18-21). Where do you stand in terms of God’s word? Are you a hearer only, or an attentive, submissive listener? Let God speak to you and obey him daily and you will experience rich and full communication and relationship with your heavenly Father.

2009 Rob Fischer

Recently our son and his wife have been going through financially tough times. On one occasion they had a bill due for $37.00, but could only scrape $36.00 together. They prayed asking God to meet their need. Later that day when they checked the mail it appeared to be all junk mail. But just as they were ready to toss it, they opened a form letter. Inside was a survey accompanied by a crisp dollar bill. They were amazed how God had met their need in such an unusual way and thanked him for it!

But notice that if they hadn’t been looking for God to supply their needs, that dollar bill would have been a non-event and no one would’ve given God the credit for providing it. What are you trusting God for today? What are you asking him to do in your life? Where is he already at work, but you’ve failed to recognize it? What is God doing in your life?

“Come and see what God has done, how awesome his works on our behalf!” Psalm 66:5

© 2009 Rob Fischer

I’ve already shared with you my pilgrimage through prayer and how I grappled early on to understand what prayer is and how to converse with God. My struggle with corporate prayer—praying with others—was even more intense.

I still remember a prayer meeting I was involved in a number of years ago. I was an elder in a church at the time and a number of us had come together to pray fervently for the church. But an hour into the prayer meeting I became so frustrated and filled with confusion that I quietly, but stubbornly left. Something had gone really wrong!

As I drove home, I was in turmoil. I didn’t know or understand why I was angry and frustrated. I felt horrible for leaving, yet I was greatly relieved to be gone. I wrestled with the Lord about all these things all the way home and for some time afterward. I knew of no sin or conflict with others that could have triggered my response. Not until a few years later did I begin to understand what had happened to me in that prayer meeting.

I don’t think I’m alone in the way I felt in that prayer meeting. I would venture to guess that many followers of Jesus sincerely struggle with their desires when the church calls a prayer meeting. Even the name prayer meeting evokes visions of the saints moaning long-winded monologues in unearthly tones, employing vocabulary long since abandoned for everyday use. In such prayer meetings we feel both grossly out of place and guilty for feeling so. Is that really as good as it gets? Or have we unwittingly accepted a cheap counterfeit for something that God intended to be inviting, desirous and even fun?

By way of analogy, imagine that you are with a small group of Christian friends. You’re having pizza together and simply enjoying one another’s company. As the evening progresses, you’re all drawn to a topic about which you are passionate. But as you are about to launch into this conversation, one of your friends suggests that you engage the following nine rules to govern your discussion:

1. You must decide before-hand who will begin the conversation.
2. This discussion must flow around the circle, one person after another in order.
3. You may speak only once during this conversation.
4. You must speak for at least two minutes when your turn comes around.
5. Think through what you will say before your turn comes to you.
6. When it’s your turn to speak, try not to repeat a thought that has already been stated. Doing so would seem foolish.
7. If it comes to your turn and you do not wish to speak, simply sit there—say nothing and do nothing, just look down.
8. Deem silence as uncomfortable during this conversation. So if it’s someone else’s turn to speak and they don’t immediately take their turn, the next person in the circle should resume the conversation.
9. The conversation is over when the last person in the circle has taken his/her turn.

Chances are you and the others would laugh out loud at your friend’s suggestion, for it is truly ridiculous to think that you could allow such conversation-restricting rules to govern your discussion! In case those nine rules sounded familiar to you but you couldn’t place them, think about how many of us learned to pray with others. Are not those the rules by which we often pray together?

As stifling and restrictive as those nine rules (or any combination of them) would be to healthy conversation with others, they are equally destructive in our sessions of corporate prayer! Years after leaving that prayer meeting I described above, I realized that my anger and frustration were largely due to the ridiculous protocol we had confined ourselves to. We had tried to force prayer into a non-relational process!

Remember where we began in this book? We talked a lot about our relationship with our heavenly Father, with Jesus Christ and his Holy Spirit. We’ve also seen how we go astray when we stop thinking about our connection with the Lord as relational. But those crazy prayer rules above are anything but relational. They’re stiff, stogy and impersonal. No wonder we run the other way when someone yells “prayer meeting”!

So what does healthy, relational corporate prayer look and feel like? Let me suggest that the problem is not with having a process. For relationships run well when we understand and operate within what is gracious social protocol. So think about the process by which we conduct a lively, healthy conversation and let’s apply a similar protocol and principles to our corporate prayer. For what is corporate prayer but a conversation with the Lord and each other?

Principles for dynamic conversational prayer:

• Pray short, phrase or sentence prayers. (Don’t hog the conversation!)
• Listen to the Holy Spirit and each other
• Piggy back on each other’s prayers. Stay on a theme until it seems right to move on
• Keep your prayers vertical (God-ward)
• Embrace silence as an opportunity to listen to God, transition to another topic or process what has been prayed
• Believe the best of each other

I have seen these principles radically change the way followers of Christ pray together. Corporate prayer can become dynamic, engaging and very relational. Please don’t mistake these principles for just another cute way to pray. We cannot ignore the way God designed us to relate with him and others when we come together to pray. There are non-social behaviors that are not befitting our relationship with each other or the Lord.

In view of these principles of conversational prayer, I get excited when I read that the early church “devoted themselves to prayer.” (Acts 2:42) Or consider how the conversational prayer must have gone in Acts 13:1-3 as the Lord revealed his will to the leadership of the church in Antioch. Think about the fervor and tears—the deep relational connections as Paul and his entourage prayed with the elders from Ephesus before departing from them for the last time (Acts 20:17-38).

In the context of sound principles for conversational prayer, passages like Ephesians 6:18 become a rallying cry to action for the church! “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.” (That exhortation is written to the church corporately—that is the verb is plural, not singular.)

We find similar calls to corporate prayer in Colossians 4:2, “Devote yourselves to prayer,” and in 1 Thessalonians 5:17, “Pray continually.” When we pray together, we stand together in the presence of almighty God and lift our voices to him in praise, adoration, thanksgiving and requests. God loves it when his children converse with him! Let us not spoil what is good and holy and enjoyable by placing relationally confining practices on our corporate prayer.

© Rob Fischer 2009

We need to recognize the relational nature of suffering. Suffering always affects our relationships—with God, with others and even with ourselves. That’s why we so often jump to the conclusion that God doesn’t love us or that he’s angry at us when we suffer. Since suffering is a deeply relational issue, we must turn to God in a deeply relational way.

Moses reminded the Israelites:

“Remember how the Lord your God led you through the wilderness for these forty years, humbling you and testing you to prove your character, and to find out whether or not you would obey his commands. Yes, he humbled you by letting you go hungry and then feeding you with manna, a food previously unknown to you and your ancestors. He did it to teach you that people do not live by bread alone; rather, we live by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. For all these forty years your clothes didn’t wear out, and your feet didn’t blister or swell. Think about it: Just as a parent disciplines a child, the Lord your God disciplines you for your own good.” (Deuteronomy 8:2-5 NLT)

Moses urged his people to remember—remember who God is and what he has done. When we experience suffering and trials, we too need to remember who God is and what he has done in our lives. I have often observed in my own life and that of other followers of Christ that when we really get hit hard with trials and suffering, we doubt God’s love and care for us. We are so fickle. We are like the child plucking petals off a daisy chanting, “He loves me; he loves me not. He loves me; he loves me not.”

Peter, who knew first hand what suffering and severe persecution was, urged his readers, “So then, those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.” (1 Peter 4:19) We need to trust God with our lives and keep doing what we know is right. This is what Jesus did when he suffered so horribly and unjustly—a suffering beyond what we’ll ever experience. When Jesus suffered, “He entrusted himself” to the Father. (1 Peter 2:23)

We already saw how Hebrews encourages us to receive and “endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons.” (Hebrews 12:7) He goes on to explain—and we’ve all experienced this—“No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful.” (Hebrews 12:11) It’s only later that we fully recognize how God was using that trial or suffering to make us more Christlike.

The writer of Hebrews then concludes, “Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. ‘Make level paths for your feet.’” I believe he’s addressing our propensity to whine, complain and play the victim when we’re suffering. But what I’ve discovered is that a victim never wins! A victim cannot win, because he/she is always a victim. Victims squirm under the merciless weight of their uncontrollable circumstances. They are stuck.

This passage in Hebrews firmly challenges us to stop playing the victim. “Strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees.” Be strong in the Lord! “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness.” (2 Peter 1:3) “Make level paths for your feet.” Picture an alcoholic who says he desperately wants to quit drinking. But he is sitting at a table staring with longing at an open bottle of whiskey. No! That approach is not making level paths for your feet! Abandon and flee from whatever is causing you to stumble and set your feet on a path that will lead you to righteousness.

When writing to the church in Thessalonica, Paul commended them for welcoming the message of the Gospel “in spite of severe suffering.” (1 Thessalonians 1:6) Later he instructs this suffering church, “Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18) In this passage, Paul gives us three responses to suffering that are not only proper and God’s will, but they work for us.

“Be joyful always.” If our joy is inseparably tied to our circumstances, we’re doomed! Our experience of joy will be fitful and shallow at best. But if our joy is inseparably tied to Jesus Christ and his glory, our joy will be continuous and as deep as Christ’s love for us and as high as his glory reaches!

“Pray continually.” Remember I said that suffering is always a relational issue? Prayer is communication with God. Tell him how you feel. Ask him for strength and encouragement. Invite him to expose any lurking sin. Ask others to pray with you and pray for them. Let God comfort you. “For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows.” (2 Corinthians 1:5)

“Give thanks in all circumstances.” God is not asking us to do the unthinkable—thank him for evil and calamity. But he is asking us to see what we have to be thankful for even in the face of evil and calamity, and then to thank him for it.

Between our second and third child, my wife and I lost a baby. Our loss was painful and real—more so than I would have previously anticipated. God did not ask us or expect us to thank him for our baby’s death. Don’t get that wrong! Jesus wept over the death of his friend Lazarus and seeing the pain of grief in Lazarus’ sisters and friends.

When our baby died, our heavenly Father wrapped his loving arms around us and wept with us. He comforted us and encouraged us. He gave us another reason to long for Jesus’ coming and to be done with this world. We were able to thank him for his tender mercies and care for us in the midst of our grief and suffering. We worshiped him, praised him and thanked him—not for the loss of our baby—but because he is our heavenly Father.

© 2009 Rob Fischer

Just a few weeks ago, a good friend of mine was hospitalized. Five years ago he had battled colon cancer and now the doctors were convinced he was suffering the side effects of liver cancer. They gave him a couple months to two years life expectancy. The next morning he was to be operated on to biopsy the tumors on his liver and have a port installed for chemotherapy treatments.

That night my friend couldn’t sleep and felt compelled to worship the Lord. He listened to worshipful music for a while and became so overcome with praise and gratitude to his heavenly Father that he slipped out of his hospital bed and spent the next hour on his knees. He wept uncontrollably and enjoyed a profoundly intimate experience with his Lord. God strengthened, comforted and encouraged him filling him with transcendent joy. He climbed back into bed and slept peacefully through the night.

Following his operation the next day, my friend awoke and began feeling around his chest for the port, but it was not there. Then his wife burst into the room exclaiming that the doctors were baffled. For they had not found cancer, but abscesses from an infection! There were two miracles associated with my friend’s illness: the one is that he was healed, but the other is that he experienced transcendent joy in the face of what everyone believed was imminent death. Only God can provide joy like that in the face of severe trial.

Suffering and hardship provide us with the opportunity to demonstrate God’s greatness and sovereignty over adversity. Job experienced an onslaught of satanic evil directed toward him, his family and his belongings. In one day he lost all he owned. “At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship and said: ‘Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised.’” (Job 1:20-21) Job demonstrated by his patient endurance that God is greater than the worst Satan could throw at him.

© 2009 Rob Fischer

God is good.
God is great.
Thank you for our food. Amen.

God is good; God is great and he is worthy of our praise and thanksgiving! Thanking God for our meals (and everything else he has given us) is not merely an act of politeness on our part—though thanking him is polite. By thanking God we acknowledge that he is our Provider. We declare that our hope is in “God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.” (1 Timothy 6:17)

One of the great Psalms of thanksgiving urges us:

“Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth. Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.” (Psalm 100)

When we cultivate a heart full of thanksgiving to God that spills out in praise to him, God is pleased and we experience great joy and contentment. Thanksgiving is the outward expression of a heart full of affection and trust in God. It’s for that reason that Paul could challenge us, “Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thessalonians 5:18) In this way we demonstrate that God is worthy of our thanks regardless of our circumstances.

A thankful lifestyle also reflects holy living as Paul indicates in 1 Thessalonians 3:17, “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

“Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that confess his name.” (Hebrews 13:15)

© 2009 Rob Fischer

The Bible provides no specific instructions on how long a fast may be. One may fast from food for a meal, a day, a few days or longer. Sometimes a fast is limited to depriving one self from “choice foods, meat, and wine” as in Daniel’s case in Daniel 10:2. Daniel also indicates that he refrained from using “lotions” during his three-week fast. His purpose in fasting was mourning, humbling himself before God and prayer (Daniel 10:2 & 12).

One may fast or refrain from an activity for a time in order to focus on God. Paul advises married couples, “Do not deprive each other of sexual relations, unless you both agree to refrain from sexual intimacy for a limited time so you can give yourselves more completely to prayer. Afterward, you should come together again so that Satan won’t be able to tempt you because of your lack of self-control.” (1 Corinthians 7:5 NLT)

I personally have engaged in complete food and drink fasts (except water), fasts from sweets, wine, watching television, etc. The Bible indicates that fasting serves to help us focus on God and removing distractions. Like the other relational graces, fasting is not an end in itself, but assists us in drawing near to God.

The practice of fasting in the Bible seems to always accompany other relational graces like prayer, solitude, repentance, confession of sin, or reading the Word (2 Samuel 12:23; 2 Chronicles 20:3; Ezra 8:21-23; Acts 13:2). As an act of self-denial, fasting expresses one’s humility and contrite spirit. “‘Even now,’ declares the LORD, ‘return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning.’” (Joel 2:12)
 
Sometimes an extenuating circumstance compels us to fast. 2 Chronicles 20 offers a nail-biting example of this. A vast army of Moabites and Ammonites had mustered and was marching against Judah. When Judah’s King Jehoshaphat received word of their plan he proclaimed a fast throughout Judah. The purpose of their fast was to seek help from the Lord and humble themselves before him admitting their helplessness and great need of him. In this amazing account, the army of Judah went to meet the armies of their enemies by singing the praises of God. God fought for them and defeated their enemies without Judah lifting a hand!

Another example in which a serious situation prompted fasting occurred in Esther 4:6. On this occasion, Esther’s uncle pleaded with Esther to approach the King and ask him to reverse an evil plan that had been set in motion to annihilate her people, the Jews. Even though Esther was the queen in Persia, the law there forbade her from approaching the king with her request without his first summoning her. She asked her people to fast for her (Esther 4:16). The implication is that they fasted in order to appeal to God on her behalf. And when Esther approached the king after the three days of fasting, he welcomed her and granted her request.

There have been times in my life in which a dire situation has prompted me to fast. At other times, I’ve fasted to seek God’s direction in an important decision. When Linda and I were following God’s leading to become overseas missionaries, we fasted and prayed about which mission agency and country to go to. God clearly answered our prayers and blessed us with a fruitful ministry in Austria with Greater Europe Mission.
A similar situation to ours occurred in the church in Antioch in Acts 13:1-3:

“In the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch) and Saul. While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, ‘Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.’ So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off.”

We don’t know what had prompted the church leadership to fast, but they had coupled their fasting with worship. As they worshiped and fasted, God revealed to them his plan for the expansion of the church in the regions beyond Antioch. Furthermore, he singled out Paul and Barnabas to complete this work. Notice that this team of leaders fasted and prayed again before commissioning Paul and Barnabas and sending them off.

Fasting, like the other relational graces, can be counterfeited and reduced to meaningless religious acts. In 1 Kings 21:9 and 12, Queen Jezebel declares a fast as a ruse to murder an innocent man. And in Isaiah 58:3-6 (NLT), the Lord exposes the hollowness of the purely external practice of fasting:

“‘We have fasted before you!’ they say.
      ‘Why aren’t you impressed?
   We have been very hard on ourselves,
      and you don’t even notice it!’
   ‘I will tell you why!’ I respond.
      ‘It’s because you are fasting to please yourselves.
   Even while you fast,
      you keep oppressing your workers.
 What good is fasting
      when you keep on fighting and quarreling?
   This kind of fasting
      will never get you anywhere with me.
 You humble yourselves
      by going through the motions of penance,
   bowing your heads
      like reeds bending in the wind.
   You dress in burlap
      and cover yourselves with ashes.
   Is this what you call fasting?
      Do you really think this will please the LORD?’
 ’No, this is the kind of fasting I want:
   Free those who are wrongly imprisoned;
      lighten the burden of those who work for you.
   Let the oppressed go free,
      and remove the chains that bind people.’”

Throughout the centuries, many have also distorted fasting by using it as a device for punishing themselves. Their motivation is to hurt themselves physically as an attempt to atone for their sin or attain holiness. Such perversions of fasting or other self-debasing practices deny the all sufficient sacrifice of Jesus Christ for our sins. Only Jesus can make us holy. We cannot pay for our sins, nor does God desire that we even try! On this subject Paul reminds us:

“You have died with Christ, and he has set you free from the spiritual powers of this world. So why do you keep on following the rules of the world, such as, “Don’t handle! Don’t taste! Don’t touch!”? Such rules are mere human teachings about things that deteriorate as we use them. These rules may seem wise because they require strong devotion, pious self-denial, and severe bodily discipline. But they provide no help in conquering a person’s evil desires.” (Colossians 2:20-23 NLT)

Jesus also had the following to say about the genuineness of our fasting:
 
“And when you fast, don’t make it obvious, as the hypocrites do, for they try to look miserable and disheveled so people will admire them for their fasting. I tell you the truth, that is the only reward they will ever get. But when you fast, comb your hair and wash your face. Then no one will notice that you are fasting, except your Father, who knows what you do in private. And your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.” (Matthew 6:16-18 NLT)

Don’t miss the awful irony in the above examples! Fasting—this relational grace designed to help us focus on God through self-denial, humility and removal of distractions can be misused and abused into something ugly, proud and self-centered. Be assured that our motives matter! We cannot fool God. Nothing is hidden from his sight. We don’t fast to impress him, twist his arm or to flaunt our religiosity before others!

Employed rightly, God uses fasting in our lives to bring about some amazing results. A number of years ago, the church we were attending in Anchorage, Alaska was bursting at the seams. We had already added five services to accommodate the numbers of people who were coming and God kept on sending us more! We desperately needed a larger facility.
 
About that time, a defunct seafood processing plant was to go up for auction. This facility was large enough to accommodate our rapid growth. Initially, our elders dismissed the possibility of purchasing it based on humanly insurmountable obstacles. But when God knocked down three of those obstacles in a space of two weeks, he got our attention. So the elders called the church family to a corporate fast to seek God’s direction. As a result we applied as one of the bidders for the property.

Three bidders had registered prior to the auction day. But at the auction, one bidder never showed up and lost his option to bid on the property. The other bidder had deep pockets and we knew we didn’t stand a chance bidding against him. But when he found out we were a church and what our vision was for the facility, he withdrew his bid saying he wanted us to have it! God’s handiwork was all over the purchase of that facility and he used prayer and fasting to draw us to himself and demonstrate to us how sovereign and powerful he is!

In America today we are not accustomed to denying ourselves anything we desire—even things we cannot afford. As a result, fasting—in which we deny ourselves the temporary enjoyment of a food, drink or other pleasure—may seem archaic and irrelevant. But that very fact should shock us into realizing how desperately we need to engage in a relational grace like fasting. For humbling ourselves and declaring to God our need for him is and always will be keenly relevant.

Jesus says to all of us who would be his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” (Luke 9:23) Fasting provides us with an intentional opportunity to deny ourselves and follow him. Not a perverted self-abasement, but drawing near to him humbly and joyfully as our Provider, Lord and Sustainer.

© Rob Fischer 2008