Prayer and Fasting

Last Monday Diane and I were with a group of missionary leaders who had gathered for training, team-building, and exploring their new regional priorities, the first of which is praying and fasting. The exact wording of the priority: Praying and fasting for a fresh outpouring of the Spirit of Holiness. The priority is rooted in Psalm 27:8 – “…Your face, Lord, do I seek.”

Not content to just spend an hour or two talking about the subject, the entire group fasted a meal and spent that time in prayer. It was a shaping experience that reminded me of my need to develop a more faithful practice of that unique means of grace.     

Jesus tells us that some things come about only by prayer and fasting. Not giving ourselves to prayer and fasting results in a lack in our lives. Giving ourselves to prayer and fasting provides space and focus for the Spirit to do a fresh and deeper work in our lives, resulting in answered prayer, increased fruitfulness, and fresh anointing.  

Prayer and fasting is a wonderful way to seek God’s face and listen to His voice in a noisy and broken world. As our friends on the Eurasia Region remind us, “No initiatives are given birth without the work of God’s Holy Spirit. Nothing is sustainable unless we draw from the deep resources of Christ. No new creative opportunities open up unless we seek the Lord wholeheartedly.”