Then Sings My Soul!
The humor of the title of this third and last day is not lost on me. On the one hand it might be understood as a victory cry as the final day of the fast comes near while the other, my intention here, is that you come out of the prayer and fasting nearer to our King. If it is the former, I would encourage any of us to revisit Matthew 6 and ask of ourselves if our heart has really been in the fast. No doubt the body is still craving and certainly needs sustenance and yet I have found that by day three the body begins to adjust a little better and I often look forward to the In His Presence event at the church. I recall the conversation about breaking the fast with communion at the event with Pastor Josh and the team last year. It does my soul such good to break it that way. That we have spent the better part of three days praying and fasting and the culminating event is taking the communion elements, such precious symbols of the redemption secured by our Savior Christ Jesus. There is likely no more perfect way to end a fast in my opinion. Just taking of the elements however would be a critical oversimplification. You really do miss out on something special if you join us on the fast but do not break the fast with the body of believers that final evening. The taking of the elements is a glorious experience but so is the singing praise to our God and King and praying together.
With all the focus on changing things in the New Year rarely does anything spiritual in nature make the list. You are all no doubt aware of my aversion to resolutions, but it is only due to the fact that I find them limiting. If you desire to do something, I really see no reason to constrain yourself to a numerical change on the calendar. Pray, fast, seek the wisdom of God and those who have been walking with Him for some time and act. You don’t need a New Year for that. What I do find in the New Year is opportunity for setting ourselves up on a good spiritual trajectory. As someone who very happily slammed the door on 2021 I would not have endured without the comfort, grace, and mercy of the King of Glory. That is why this Prayer and Fasting is so remarkable to me. You begin your year spending time with Christ Jesus, the one died and rose again for us, knowing full well the depth of our cosmic treason against Him. Maybe this is the beginning of a new and thriving journey of fasting and prayer for you. I do pray that you enjoyed sitting at the feet of our Savior, soaking in His Words as revealed in Scripture, and pouring out your heart to Him in prayer. May God bless you this year and may the voice of our Great Shepherd be all the more clear to you, recognizable like that of an old friend.
“May the LORD bless you and keep you;
The LORD make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;
The LORD lift us his countenance upon you and give you peace.”
Numbers 6:24-26 ESV