Luke 2:37 and she was a widow of about eighty-four years, who did not depart the temple, serving with fastings and prayers night and day.
| ... So after more fasting and prayer, the men laid their hands on them and sent them on their way. |
| ... So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and fasting. I also wore rough burlap and sprinkled myself with ashes. |
Fasting and prayer go together like a hand in a glove. The Lord created fasting and prayer to work together. The reason you are reading this today is because the longest this brother had ever fasted before (years ago) is one day and that one day was rough enough that he never did it again. Well, this year for the first time in a lifetime, the Spirit of the Lord has been teaching and nudging this brother to fast. What has the Lord taught this brother about fasting? Part of the reason there was trouble fasting in the past, is there was no prayer asking for help to fast. The way it is designed is....fasting helps you to pray, and praying helps you to fast-they are mutually, divinely supportive.
Is the only benefit of fasting, being able to pray more effectively? No. The benefits of fasting are so overwhelming, so extensive, so pervasive that this brother is convinced if a 1-3 day fast could be contained in a pill form it would sell for $1000 or more per pill and people would gladly pay it. The Lord gave it to us for free.....Would you like to live longer? Fasting helps with that too.
Now brother D is starting to understand why our Great God created the fast. It is also interesting that at no point previously did the Spirit emphasize this age old truth to brother D, but this year He did. Why? Don't know but the problems brother D had fasting in the past, is now a problem that exists only in the past. Now, through prayer that asks for help to be able to fast, brother D can fast for more than one day.
The Lord really, really knows what He is doing. He does not always explain Himself but when He does it leaves this brother speechless. If you need help, if you need a breakthrough of some kind-pray to be able to fast and fast to be able to pray. Ask the Lord for what you need then sit back and watch.
One of the most encouraging things in this life is the fact that we serve a God who answers prayer. We have the privilege of approaching the Creator of the universe with our requests and get answers from Him. Stop for a moment and consider deeply the implications of that idea. Most people could not get a minute to talk to the president of their country but you have the privilege of 24/7, 365 day access to the Creator of all things. Wow.
Todays note to you was to pass along these encouragements from the Spirit of the Lord. We have access to power and resources that most of mankind would kill for. All we have to do is ask our Father for these things through Jesus Christ our Lord. Fast to pray and pray to fast. Watch what happens....Glory to God.
grace and peace
