2006-11-03
Good Morning Cherished of God,
The Holy Spirit leads me to continue writing about occasions for fasting. Serious family illness is another one. Those of us who have studied the story of David in depth know that he had committed two terrible sins, adultery with Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah, and arranging the murder of Uriah. In the story contained in 2 SAM 12: 15-23, we learn that a baby was conceived out of this affair, one which God would use to demonstrate that there are indeed consequences for behavior such as David's. David and Bathsheba's child became very sick. David prayed to God that the child would live. (16-18) "He refused to eat anything, and every night he went into his room and spent the night lying on the floor. His court officials went to him and tried to make him get up, but he refused and would not eat anything with them. A week later, the child died, and his court officials were afraid to tell David. David was wise enough to know that God had delivered his punishment, which was fair. That's why he got up, combed his hair, asked for food, and ate it as soon as it was served (20). David knew that no more fasting or prayer would bring the child back. Then in (23), he said, "I will some day go to where he [the child] is, but he can never come back to me." This revealing statement of David's faith in God's eventual forgiveness and in the possibility of life in heaven allows us a look into the inner self of a man who understood God's righteousness and refused to vacate his faith.
The above example shows that God doesn't always give us the answer from prayer and fasting that we want. God knows the state of our heart-attitude. David's fasting and prayer while on the surface appearing righteous was actually for an unrighteous reason. He figured that God would allow him not to suffer the consequences of his wrongful behavior. Had God allowed that baby to live, He would have not demonstrated His own righteousness [RO 3: 26]. We need to understand the ultimate nature of God's power to decide. COL 3: 25 illuminates God's approach. "And every wrongdoer will be repaid for the wrong things he does, because God judges everyone by the same standard." The Scriptures tell us that prayer said for the wrong reasons won't be fulfilled.
Is this a reason not to fast when family illness occurs? Of course not. In several places in the Scriptures, JN 15: 7 and 1 JN 5: 14-15 for example, we are told that if our prayers are aligned with God's will, they shall be answered. So, the point of all of this is for us to examine our motives for a fast and prayers we say before acting on them. What we do before God's mighty throne really does matter. God is the Master Character-builder. He wants us to know and understand His will; then, we should pray and/or fast, if appropriate. We must remember the model of Christ going alone up the hill to a lonely place after getting the news of the beheading of John the Baptist [MT 14: 13] and again before preaching in Galilee [MK 1: 35]. I believe there were plenty of times when Christ temporarily denied his physical self to receive instructions and directions from the Father that may not have been mentioned in the Scriptures. A time of family illness is a time when, ideally, true believers should be turning to God with enduring faith to gain a closer picture of God's perspective on that illness. The story of Lazarus reveals that apparent illness is sometimes being used by God to reveal His glory and that of the Son [JN 11: 4] and His power [JN 9: 1-3].
Another occasion to pray and fast is when we are seeking guidance and wisdom from God. In AC 14: 23, Paul and Barnabus had just returned from the first mission journey to the church in Antioch in Syria [not to be confused with Antioch in Pisidia], the one they considered their home church. The conflict between the legalism of traditional Judaism and the grace of Christianity had arisen on the that journey, and these men needed to bring it up with other leaders in Jerusalem. Before the Jerusalem meeting, Paul and Barnabas fasted and prayed, in preparation to appoint elders and commend them to the Lord, in Whom they had put their trust. They were seeking guidance and wisdom from God, just as we should before making decisions. Our need for this approach before decision-making is not only taught in the NT. PS 32: 8, "I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go; I will guide thee with Mine eye." PS 119: 10, "With my whole heart have I sought Thee: O let me not wander from Thy commandments." PS 143: 8, "Remind me each morning of Your constant love, for I put my trust in You. My prayers go up to You, show me the way I should go." For me the quintessential instruction given to us to seek God first is in JER 29: 12-13, "Then you will call to Me. You will come and pray to Me, and I will answer you. You will seek Me, and you will find Me because you will seek me with all your heart." God wants us to be genuine and authentic in fasting and prayer. He awaits our prayers and is eager to hear and answer them [PS 116:1]. We need to understand that His wisdom is so much higher and greater than ours [IS 55: 8-9; JER 33: 3], that we must appeal to Him first, rather than another person at any time we need His guidance and wisdom. And yes, I believe that is every day!
PRAYER: O Lord, we come before Your mighty throne to acknowledge Your omniscience, omnipotence, and omnipresence. We don't have Your perspective, nor do we have what we need to judge every situation, heal mankind, have Your degree of compassion, or grant wisdom and guidance- without You. We are indeed poor in spirit, MT 5: 3 reveals. Therefore, it is folly not to worship, adore, thank and praise You for Who You are and what You do. We have been taught that knowledge is a collection of raw data, understanding is the ability to organize that data, and wisdom is the ability to apply what we learn to the circumstances of our lives with courage, guidance, compassion, and kindness that only You can give us. At the heart of what we do in the face of family illness or need to seek Your advice and guidance is our understanding that comes from Your word and prayer. We ask you to help us use knowledge, understanding, and wisdom as we read and believe it and then act on it. PS 1: 1, "Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on His law he meditates day and night." Since the subject on our minds today is fasting, we ask that You guide us to when and how to use this tool which helps us focus on You and allows the pressures, noise, and demands of our daily lives to temporarily fade away. You have told us in PS 46: 10, "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." That alone is enough reason for us to seek You out often and in ways You deem appropriate at the time. Dearest Father, we offer You our love, diligence, service, adoration, praise, and thanks now and forevermore. In the name of Jesus Christ, we offer up this prayer to You. Amen.
Next week in a continuation of our examination of occasions to fast, we will look at times when we need God's help and protection and in a day of pending judgment. It is my hope that we will never forget the big picture, the one in which we just ask ourselves: in view of Christ's Atonement, what should be my own personal relationship with God? We must ask ourselves how we feel about the fact that God sacrificed His only begotten Son for our salvation. No one can answer this question for each of us, except ourselves. I have long known that I should see this momentous event [the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ] as part of God's plan to bring believing mankind back to Him for eternity [JN 3: 16; JN 6: 39-40; RO 3: 24-25; HE 10: 10]. Despite our natural sinfulness, God is patient and loving enough to allow us time to align our thoughts and lifestyle with His will. That time is limited, but it is enough for those He calls to Him, if they are willing to make the changes necessary. We have been promised that there will be trials, losses, and suffering along the way. This is to be expected. However, 2 COR 4: 18 gives us God's perspective on them. "So we do not look at the trouble we can see right now; rather we look forward to what we have not yet seen. For the troubles we see will soon be over, but the joys to come will last forever." From my own recent serious illness and major surgery, I can testify that God is at work honing my own faith in Him with precision even more perfect than the best-trained surgeon. He does this for His own purposes which He wants to carry out using me. This same truth applies to every true believer and potential true believer. He builds our faith life by His command that we should seek Him out in prayer, using fasting where it applies. As we go through our trials, He stands with us guiding and strengthening us. All we have to do is to turn to Him in faith! Then we will know what we must do to be an obedient servant through whom He can make His purposes happen. To God be the glory!
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn