by Wendy Nurse (Prayer Team Leader)
Fall40. WOW. Whenever I hear “Fall40”, I get mixed feelings; feelings of excitement and of wanting to run for the hills. Don’t shoot me yet…hear me out for a few minutes. You might be saying “How can you feel that way? You are the Prayer Team Leader.” Yes I am. But I’m human first, and I don’t like restrictions.
There are some great names in the Bible that have felt the same pressure. For instance, God called David a man after his own heart, but David struggled, too. How about Abraham? He was a man of great faith, but he lied. And Paul? He did so much and yet he felt the pressure of his sickness.
I am able to pray. But when you combine praying and fasting, it takes great discipline for me (and I’m short in that area). Let’s be honest, we know that the Bible tells us that “some things can only be changed by prayer and fasting (see Matt. 17:21), but many times I want the change with just prayer. Here’s how I feel: I’m good at getting God’s attention. Why then, do I need to fast along with praying? I believe it’s because our Heavenly Father wants a bond with us that is so strong that when we fast and pray we will know without a shadow of doubt that it was Him that caused the change to occur. No one would be able to tell us differently.
Fall40 has been a challenge for me and I know for many of you as well. There have been many slips ups, but it is not how many times we fail but how many times we get back up and continue chasing after God. God said “my grace is sufficient for you.” So press on.
Through 2009’s version of Fall40, God will turn things around for many of us…but we have to continue to fight through the pressures of life. In Genesis 32:24-30 Jacob wrestled with Lord all night long. He knew in his heart that he could not defeat the person he wrestled with. But I believe Jacob saw something that caused him to continue wrestling. He ended up with a bum hip. But having a limp was worth seeing the face of God.
I urge you to continue wrestling whatever is trying to steal your blessing. Hold on. I know that God will show up and relieve us of the fight. At the end of Fall40, some of us may have a spiritual limp, but it will be worth it all. So hang in there, saints! We can and will rise above our circumstance.
Pray this prayer with me: “Lord, you are God and I am not. You knew before time that we would be on this quest to know you better. You knew that we would falter at times but yet you love us enough to help us along. Thank you for being the loving and gracious Father that you are. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
(*Reminder-this week is a media fast. Choose a type of media to fast, or fast all types of media or any combo you come up with. We're doing this to clear our minds and hearts of the clutter that can interefere with God trying to speak into our lives. You might be amazed at the results of this kind of fast).
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