Those of you who read my previous blog might recall the parched tone of writing as I was meandering through a spiritual drought. I talked about fasting briefly but didn't disclose the details of my fast. Now, several weeks later, and ten pounds lighter (j/k), I have completed the 21-day challenge and I feel compelled to share with you something the Lord placed upon my heart. Before I do this, however, I want to touch upon the purpose of a fast.
Fasting is a vital component in our spiritual make-up. Ecclesiastes 4:12 states, "A threefold cord is not quickly broken". Fasting accounts for one-third of the threefold cord. The other two-thirds include prayer and giving. When this cord is stretched taut through practical use, it strengthens our walk with the Lord. Denying the desires of our flesh, including our natural desire for food, strips the enemy of strongholds, footholds, or any authority he claims over our lives. Just like NOS stimulates the output of power in the engine of a race car, fasting also ramps up our prayers a notch, heightening their effectiveness. If it is a more intimate encounter with the Lord we seek, fasting can help us discern the chafing ingredient that produces a calloused heart. When we fast, we become vulnerable (in a positive sense of the term) and open to change. It induces a sensitivity to the Holy Spirit's leading, presence, and power in our lives.
Remember that a fast is not a way to gain merit or the approval of others. Rather, as Jesus explains in Matthew 6:1-17, giving, praying, and fasting should be done in secret. When we go into a fast with pure intentions, we are humbled by the experience, rather than exalted.
On the first Sunday of my fast, I was invited to visit a friend's church. The preacher who spoke in their morning service based his exhortatation on Isaiah 58. This chapter in the bible describes the type of fast pleasing to God. What he shared with the congregation is summed up in one sentence: When we fast, we are to redirect our focus to those in need if we expect to experience true breakthrough. God calls us to fast, not only to magnify the urgency of our requests, but to be mindful of those without food and shelter. This is what Isaiah 58:6-7 tells us. As you read further, verses 8-9 encourage us that Lord will reply to the cry of our hearts when we make His business our own. But it was verses 10-11 that cut through me like a knife. They exposed and addressed my barren state at the time: "If you extend your soul to the hungry and satisfy the afflicted soul, THEN your light shall dawn in the darkness, and your darkness shall be as the noonday. The Lord will guide you continually, and satisfy your soul in drought, and strengthen your bones; you shall be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail." (Isaiah 58:10-11) How's that for confirmation? The Lord reasoned with my heart, preparing me for a fast that is pleasing and acceptable to Him. My faithfulness, in turn, was greatly rewarded!
Just weeks ago, like a fish stranded on dry sand, my soul panted for the Fountain of living water. I thirsted for His divine mercy to fall afresh on me. There is no formula to acquiring it aside from running to His throne of grace with a genuine desire to pursue and be pursued by the Lover of our souls. So, that is exactly what I did. I laid before His feet and waited, denying all things that could potentially drift me back to the deserted shoreline.
During one of these occasions of kneeling and waiting, asking and praying, a thought was deposited into my mind, like a coin in a piggy bank, only this thought had no assigned monetary value. To me it was priceless. I wrote it down in my purple moleskine pocket-sized notebook to insure its safety, fearful that it would get lost in the crowd of useless ideas lingering around in my memory bank. The words I etched in black ink on white paper weren't quite black and white to me at the time, however. The thought read, "Shake the walls of Jericho until they come tumbling down". I interrogated the statement, questioning its meaning, but received no answer. So, I left it there in my notebook, closed the door, and saved questioning for another day. I have learned that if we don't find answers right away, we might have to wait for the answers to find us.
And sure enough, about two weeks later, the statement that pierced my soul with no explanation, suddenly became crystal clear. The day after my fast ended, I woke up early in the morning, as had been my routine, longingly pouring over Scripture. After lapping at the pool of living water, I was refreshed and ready to take on the day. But, my plans were interrupted. The phrase that the Lord deposited into my mind a few weeks ago revisited me. I felt a nudge in my spirit to turn to page 27 of a book I received from a conference a few days prior. I hadn't begun reading it yet and knew nothing about its content. I picked up the book, wasting no time, and started skimming through the first few paragraphs on that page. I suddenly came to a screaching halt when I noticed a phrase peering back at me, appearing all too familiar. It read, "Once you spell Jericho, you need to circle it in prayer. Then you need to keep circling it until the walls come tumbling down".
My heart pounded within my chest. I was ecstatic to receive not only a word from the Lord but a confirmation thereafter, affirming that the small still voice from within was His. Prior to this fast, I had been struggling in my prayer life, going through the motions, and not engaging in genuine dialogue with my God. I found myself imitating how others pray. Their prayers sounded better than mine. But, here I finally understood what God had been trying to show me in His chastening. There is a love language we share embedded in prayer, unique to He and I.
Regarding the revelation, for those of us who may not know the story of Jericho, it is described in Joshua 6. The Israelites were encouraged to lay seige upon the city but they faced one major obstable--its outer walls were impenetrable. Under the leadership of Joshua, however, the Israelites didn't sulk back in defeat. God commanded that they circle the city for seven days. On the final day, with the sound of a trumpet and a unified voice of praise, the walls of Jericho came tumbling down. The Israelites didn't have to strategize or rely on their human strength to combat the looming fortified tower. They circled the city in prayer and God handled the rest.
I went back over the laundry list of prayers written in my notebook and circled each one, symbolic of my plan to ceaselessly pray until something happens. The conditions in the physical realm might tell you that you are underqualified for that career choice, but the Lord says circle it in prayer. Divorce rates are steadily on the rise, but the Lord says circle it in prayer. You might have a family member who is battling addiction and the pathway towards recovery seems hopeless, but the Lord says do not give up! Healing, help, and divine favor is on its way. Do not miss out on what the Lord is doing in your life (or through your life) because you defeatedly stopped praying.
Join hands with others, forming a prayer circle around the issue that won't budge. Circles symbolize the indefinite nature of our God. He has no beginning or end. On the same token, Jesus Christ has never and will never stop making intercession for us. Therefore, why should we? What are the stubborn issues in your life? What have you been praying relentlessly over to no avail?
Imagine if the Israelites quit circling Jericho before the seventh day. They would have missed out on the miracle awaiting them. If I broke my commitment to the 21-day fast, I may not have received the confirmed word the Lord was holding out to reveal. I am grateful for this revelation and hope by sharing it, someone is encouraged to fight through prayer!
I find it interesting that the Lord used fasting in order to single out and strengthen the weak cord in my life. Directly preceding the verse I referenced earlier in Ecclesiastes, scripture states, "Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him". (Ecclesiastes 4:12) Fasting, as well as the application of the exhortation I received on giving, magnified the shortcomings in my prayer life. Stretching these cords helped me to identify the slack rope and God provided a directive on how to get back on track through the revelation.
My friends, let us not grow slack, but be vigilant and sober, longing to be stretched. Let us be fervent in prayer, ceaselessly circling the immovable walls in our life. Let us fast intentionally with pure motives and with a genuine desire to see God's sovereign power and mercy working in our lives. Let us give and do unto others as if Jesus Himself were the recipient. For when adversity comes, and it will come, we will not be moved. We will be the threefold cord, not easily broken!
