21 Days of Prayer and Fasting
As we embark on 21 Days of Prayer and Fasting together as a church family, our hope is that each of our members will tap into the joy of prayer. However, we know spending an extended time in prayer may be a new idea for many. We want to help you take the next step on your journey in enjoying prayer (and therefore, God) more deeply by answering why and how we should pray.
WHY SHOULD WE PRAY?
The goal of the Christian life is to become as much like Jesus as possible. Therefore, we pray because Jesus prayed. The Gospels show us that Jesus prayed before, during, and after anything significant happened in his life. Jesus prayed at his baptism (Luke 3:21-22), after tiring ministry days (Luke 5:15-16), before making big decisions (Luke 6:12-13), after feeding 5,000 people (Luke 9:16-19), before teaching about prayer (Luke 11:1), before his arrest (Luke 22:40-44), and before taking his last breath (Luke 23:46). It was part of Jesus’ natural rhythms.
Prayer is also how we grow closer to God. Would you like to experience more of God’s presence, love, grace, power, revelation, and goodness (Psalm 16:11)? Prayer is how we connect with a Heavenly Father who gives good gifts to His children (Matthew 7:7-11). The goal of prayer isn’t to be seen by or as impressive to others, it is to be seen and rewarded by God (Matthew 6:5-6). But our earthy distractions can pose problems. God wants to give us more of Himself, but he will often wait until he doesn’t have to compete for our attention.
HOW SHOULD WE PRAY?
Martin Luther said, “To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing.”
If we are going to be like Jesus, we, too, must learn how to pray. There isn’t one right or best way to pray. Any kind of praying is better than no praying at all, so try different things.
The 21 DAYS of PRAYER GUIDE is a great tool to help explore different ways you can pray and connect with God.
Resources
Download the Prayer Guide
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Text ‘PRAYER’ to 765-443-4227 for daily prayer prompts throughout the 21 Days of Prayer and Fasting.
FAQ's
As we add in elements of fasting into our 21 Days of Prayer and Fasting, our hope is that each person will grow in their enjoyment of fasting. We know many may associate fasting with giving something up. But fasting is so much more than that. Fasting is also about gaining something; gaining deeper intimacy with God. We want to help you take the next step toward enjoying fasting (and therefore, God) more deeply by answering why and how we should fast.
Fasting is more about satisfaction than it is about sacrifice. It is about prioritizing our souls’ desires over other desires to get more of what satisfies most deeply. When you fast, you feel hunger or desire and are reminded that you are in need, that you aren’t self-sufficient. Fasting intensifies your awareness of your needs and thus intensifies your prayers as you seek His sufficiency. Jesus is called the “bread of life” meaning that nearness to Him is what satisfies the deepest longing of our souls (John 6:35).
Consider these spiritual purposes for fasting:
To intensify your prayers (Daniel 9:3)
To seek clarity from God (Acts 14:23)
To express repentance for sin (Jonah 3:5-8)
To lament or grieve (2 Samuel 1:12)
To ask God to move (Nehemiah 1:3-4)
To overcome fear or persecution (2 Chronicles 20:2-4)
To resist temptation (Matthew 4:1-11)
To worship and love God (Luke 2:37)
Moreover, Jesus fasted (Matthew 4:1-2) and taught with the assumption that his followers would fast (Matthew 6:16-18) as an essential practice of the Christian experience. Fasting helps us to become more like Jesus and even closer to Him in our daily walk.
The most common practice of fasting involves voluntary abstinence from eating food for a predetermined amount of time and for a spiritual purpose. However, abstaining from eating food is not the only way to fast. Consider these three types of fasting:
A normal fast is abstinence from eating all food (everything except water) for a predetermined amount of time and for a spiritual purpose (Matthew 4:1-11).
A partial fast is abstinence from eating some foods for a predetermined amount of time and for a spiritual purpose. This could include things like soda, coffee, meat, sugar, etc. (Daniel 1:8-16).
An alternative fast is abstinence from something other than food for a predetermined amount of time and a spiritual purpose. This could include abstaining from things like social media or other types of entertainment or activities (1 Corinthians 7:5).
The scriptures do not specify the length of time for fasting. There are examples in the Bible of people fasting for part of a day, a single day, a single night, three days, seven days, 10 days, 14 days, 21 days, 40 days, and also for unspecified periods of time.
To start fasting, begin by prayerfully choosing a type of fast, an amount of time, and a spiritual purpose. If you are concerned about health issues, it is always wise to consult a physician before abstaining from food. If you’ve struggled with disordered eating or control, you should first seek advice from trusted Christian friends or leaders, and possibly consider starting with an alternative fast.
The greatest reward that God could give us is deeper intimacy with Himself. Our hope during Gathering Point’s 21 Days of Prayer and Fasting is that you take one simple step toward fasting as a means of getting a greater connection and intimacy with God.