“Fasting helps us keep our balance in life. How easily we begin to allow nonessentials to take precedence in our lives. How quickly we crave things we do not need until we are enslaved by them.”
– Richard J. Foster, Celebration of Discipline
Fasting is all about realizing that we need to realign our hearts to God. Taking intentional time away from something that is consuming our lives and providing a roadblock between God and ourselves. It is often helpful when fasting is a regularly practised discipline, that you engage with often, not only during the time of the year when everyone else is fasting. Getting back to a place where we remember that all we need is God, instead of relying on the satisfaction from likes and comments on a post, relying on the truth that God calls us loved for who we are. “I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you.” (Jeremiah 31:3)
Today’s fasting time is all about connecting with God. You will be expected to take time out of your day on purpose and pray to God. If you are not comfortable with prayer that is okay, below, we will have a prayer provided that you can read as your own prayer. During this time of prayer, focus on talking to God the Father. The God the Father that Jesus is praying to in Matthew 6:9, “’This, then, is how you should pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.” In this time, talk as if God the Father was sitting across the table from you, or on the other side of the couch, or on the curb outside of Walgreens as you sip on an Arizona Green Tea.
We want to thank God the Father for sending God the Spirit to be present with us. Take a moment and be in awe of being in the presence of God. We are then going to take time and thank God the Father for the in-person relationships that we have in our life, our friends, family, coaches, or teachers. If you do not have close friendships, or a broken family, pray to God that He would bring a meaningful in-person friendship or family like connection into your life. Below is the prayer for today. Say it multiple times today as you are fasting from the Internet.
PRAYER
Dear heavenly Father,
Thank you so much for wanting to be in community with us. Thank you for sending your son, and then sending God the Spirit to be present with us.
Thank you for creating us with the need for connection, and then not abandoning us, but being present with us. God the Father, thank you for the in-person relationships that build me up. Thank you for surrounding me with people who are encouraging and loving. Help me to be those things for them.
God the Father, will you bring a meaningful friendship into my life. One that will be healthy, challenge me, and help me to feel that I belong.
God the Father, we praise you and love you. Amen.
Hokma Blog 