My word
for the year is prayer. At the end of 2015 I took some time to
reflect and pray and ask God for a spiritual focus for 2016. I can’t remember how, but the verse God led
me to was Luke 2:37…she never left the
temple but worshipped night and day, fasting and praying. I have been doing a lot of praying this year,
but I haven’t fasted except during Lent.
I usually fast when there is something really important coming up. I do have a concern regarding a major
decision that I am powerless over, so I thought I would gear up my prayer with
fasting once a week. I don’t see fasting
as a way to make God more inclined to do what I want Him to do. Rather, I see it as a way to remind myself of
how dependent I am on God’s grace and through my tangible efforts. Fasting is a spiritual discipline that
reminds me that the best I can do is entrust my concerns to His care. When I go without food as a reminder to
myself that I am called to pray for a certain concern, I am acknowledging that
prayer is my only hope. Adding fasting
to my prayers has given me more confidence that I am doing the absolute best by
turning my concerns over to God.
Just
after I decided to fast for my concern, I felt the Lord nudging me to use this
same time of fasting to pray for our country.
My personal concern and God’s mercy and love for our country have become
the focus of my weekly fast. I can’t
tell you how much peace I have about the future of our country despite the
rising concerns we are facing, including being the in the mall to shop for a
new dress. I don’t have confidence that
all the ills of our country will be resolved.
I don’t have confidence that we as a country are not prime for receiving
the natural consequences of ignoring God’s instructions for living in blessing
and peace. I do have confidence that God
hears my prayers and the prayers of many other Christians in this nation who
are looking to Him and Him alone for hope.
Fasting has absolutely been more of a blessing for me than anything else. This result has surprised me. I come away from my times devoted to prayer
with deeper confidence that God hears our prayers and that God alone knows what
is best for us. I am confident that He
will lead and guide me and never leave me, no matter what the future holds.
There are
less than 40 days until the 2016 election.
If you would like to join me in prayer for our nation, this could be the
best time to consider praying for the next 40 days until and after the
election. 2 Chronicles 7:14 is a great
encouragement about prayer for our county: if my people who are called by my name humble
themselves, and pray and seek my
face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will
forgive their sin and heal their land.
What would delight the Lord more than for His people to unite in their
awareness of the sins we have committed against Him and cry for His mercy?
I would
love every reader to devote the next 40 days to pray over our nation and vote
in this election Pray as
One has a prayer guide that you can follow.
I’m grateful that my church is calling all our members to 40 Days of
Prayer and Fasting before the election and providing a devotional to use during
these days. You can find it at http://www.pcbc.org/prayer/40-days-prayer/
No matter
what the outcome of this election, focusing on the sovereign power of God is
the only path to peace.
Copyright © 2016. Deborah R Newman. teatimeforyoursoul.com All Rights
Reserved.
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