Our prayers are often crippled because we do not support them by fasting. In Matthew 6, Jesus clearly taught an inexorable relationship between the two. Indeed, the “closet” in which effective praying is done must often be in the “inner room” of fasting.
Fasting, perhaps as much as anything else, helps us to go into our “inner room,” the space within ourselves. Fasting helps us shut the door of our inner selves to the outside attractions which crowd in and dissipate our prayer time and energies.
Fasting is the act of temporarily giving up something that is very important to us in order that we may use the time normally given to that thing for prayer and reflect upon the pain of the temporary “sacrifice” to better understand the mystery and meaning of Christ’s passion and sacrifice for us. (Rueben P. Job and Norman Shawchuck, A Guide to Prayer for Ministers and Other Servants*)
Join with our UMC prayer community and consider a weekly fast (Thursday sundown to Friday afternoon) as a spiritual practice during this period prior to the special session of General Conference to be held February 23-26, 2019. See our resource section to find helpful information about the Wesleyan fast and prayers for fasting.
*Copyright © 1983 by The Upper Room. All rights reserved. Used by permission of Upper Room Books. http://bookstore.upperroom.org/ Learn more about this book.
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