Day of Praise

Tues, 12/20/16, "Day of Praise" 

"Then the word of the Lord Almighty came to me: 'Ask all the people of the land and the priests, "When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh months for the past seventy years, was it really for me that you fasted?"'" - Zechariah 7:4-5 

Fasting is giving up earthly food for a meal or longer so you can focus on and eat the spiritual food that God alone can give, namely, the feast of His presence, the food that is fellowship with Father God. Jesus refers to this spiritual food in John 4, when the disciples are trying to give him earthly food; Jesus says, "I have food that you know nothing about." 

Recently, three different people have shared with me that they were fasting. They are different in that one's a young woman, one's a young man, and one's an older man. They are different in that their fasts were of varying lengths. But they are the same in that they all clearly know the Lord with a depth that is greater than the typical believer. 

As the new year is just around the corner, you may want to look into fasting as part of a new spiritual chapter in your life. I'm so excited that our Church Council agreed at our December meeting to have 2017 be a year of prayer, a year of praying together and learning together to pray. God's Word is clear in saying that prayer and fasting bless absolutely every area and moment of our life.

As a part of this year of prayer, some in our church have begun to read the book "Old Paths, New Power" by Daniel Henderson. Additionally, we're starting the new year with and we pray you'll please join us for our Friday, January 6, 2017, 7-9 p.m. prayer gathering in our Luther Room, facilitated by my friend, Pastor Kevin Moore, Executive Director of Mission Birmingham. And finally, to start the year of prayer, we're encouraging everyone to dig even deeper into prayer by buying and reading the book, "Transforming Prayer" by Daniel Henderson. 

Remember, just like the scripture with today's devotional, Jesus himself speaks of prayer and fasting by saying, "when you fast," not "if you fast." In other words, Jesus understands fasting to be as much a regular part of the life of faith as is worship, prayer, serving those in need, forgiveness, and tithing. Spiritual disciplines are not oppressive.  God's word tells us consistently that spiritual disciplines are just healthy. 

You may need to talk to your doctor before trying to fast, especially if it's more than one meal. But if you're able to try the spiritual discipline that is fasting, then it is certainly one way to grow into a deeper relationship with the Lord. 

May God bless you richly today. The Lord is with you by the power of the Holy Spirit, as He has shown us plainly in Jesus Christ. 

Praise God!