Why Should We Pray and Fast?

Last week Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards invited the people of this great state to a period of prayer and fasting over lunch from July 20-22, 2020 as part of our response to the COVID-19 crisis. Understanding that every act of an elected official has an element of politics to it, we have a unique opportunity here because the idea of prayer and fasting has entered the public square. I do, however, want to be clear there is no way I, nor anyone else, could give prayer and fasting a complete vetting in three brief installments; the hope and prayer here is this series will help us flesh these out a little to encourage us in our own journey through prayer and fasting.

From our earliest days, the people of the Judeo-Christian traditions (although the concepts of prayer and fasting are not exclusively ‘ours’) have been called to and have set aside times of prayer and fasting; sometimes in specific cases, and other times as part of the ritual of the faith community. The question is, “Why?”

Knowing there are many avenues through which the subjects of prayer and fasting are discussed throughout scripture, understanding that we are approaching this discipline in the midst of a global pandemic, the effects of which are wreaking so much havoc in so many of our lives, I invite you to a time in the life of the early church where these two spiritual disciplines are yoked together. Hear these words from Acts 13:1-3 as found in the Common English Bible:

The church at Antioch included prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon (nicknamed Niger), Lucius from Cyrene, Manaen (a childhood friend of Herod the ruler), and Saul. As they were worshipping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Appoint Barnabas and Saul to the work I have called them to undertake.” After they fasted and prayed, they laid their hands on these two and sent them off.

The church at Antioch (in the southernmost part of modern-day Turkey (near the current city of Antakya) bear witness to the binding together of fasting and worship of the Lord; part of our calling as people who engage in the worship of God is to be people who fast because, in part, it is an act of worship (more on this tomorrow.) Notice the calling out of who was part of this assembly; while the names may escape us today, contemporary readers and hearers of this narrative would have known the personalities mentioned. Their participation lent credence to the importance of this matter.

“…[T]he Holy Spirit said…” Part of the rationale for God’s people to be called to a time of prayer and fasting moves beyond it simply being an act of worship. When we engage in the worshipful acts of prayer and fasting, we are setting ourselves aside - spiritually if not also physically - to be more attuned to hearing God’s voice if for no other reason than we have set aside this specific time for God’s purposes.

In addition to being acts of worship and setting ourselves aside to be attuned to God’s voice, we witness in Acts 13 that prayer and fasting are also part of preparing for the next journey of life. Lord knows that none of us have a clue about where all this journey will take us nor how it will end. Incumbent upon us, though, is the inescapable reality that engaging in an intentional time of prayer and fasting will, by God’s grace, prepare us for whatever may come.

So, dear friends, let us embrace this call to prayer and fasting. Let us embrace this time to do God’s work and to make room for us to be receptive to God’s work. Let us embrace the potential transformation that may come through these sacred acts of faithfulness to God and support of one another.

Be sure to join us tomorrow at this time for the second of our prayer and fasting series as we explore some common and unfortunate misunderstandings surrounding fasting as a spiritual discipline; join us Wednesday as we explore prayer as an act of community.

Grace & Peace,
Lamar