Fasting and Prayer

I have found that fasting can be fraught with human failure and weakness. And lest you seek to elevate my journey above yours, let me begin with my own confession of weakness. “I thank God, I speak in tongues more than you all,” Paul said – such was his boast. My boast is “I have failed more fasts than you all.” I am a fasting-and-praying schizophrenic. “To fast or not to fast?” is my constant question.

I have often announced to my wife, “I am fasting today.” Once she responded with a little gracious cynicism, “What do you want for breakfast?”

Every time you set your face to fast, you are guaranteed to see some cosmic Law of Temptation and Attraction activated, which is why a beautiful pink box of doughnuts suddenly appears in your office. Before you fast, no doughnuts. After you decide – in fact, the moment you decide – boom, they appear! I cannot possibly count the number of times maple-glazed doughnuts have been my downfall.

One time, about three days into a particular fast I had called others to commit to, I found myself facing impossible food cravings. So at home, glancing this way and that, (to make sure my wife was not looking), I quickly sneaked some yogurt and chips. Anything tastes good when you are fasting.

The next day, I was in our 24-hour house of prayer in Pasadena when a prophetic intercessor walked in. “I had a dream of you last night,” she said. “I saw you sitting where you are sitting right now.”

I thought to myself – this is awesome! God knows my address!

Then she said, “But in the dream, I was deeply disappointed with you, because you were supposed to be fasting, and instead you were eating yogurt and chips.”

Right now, you are probably either aghast or laughing hysterically. Perhaps the best response is to feel strangely consoled. As for me, I have pondered this story for years.

Was God teasing me, gently reminding me, in love, that His eye is on the sparrow…. and me? Or was he declaring, “Son, it is your calling to shift history with prayer and fasting – do not take My call lightly!” Maybe both are true, but I think the latter more important. Great things issue forth when God calls you to his own intercessions. God knew that I would speak and write about fasting and prayer; He was sobering me back to my purpose.

How are you doing at fasting? Remember - GOD LOVES YOU!