Wednesday, December 02, 2009

Prayer and Fasting

For the past three Mondays I've modified my behavior. I have gotten out of bed, drank my coffee and taken my vitamins, but for the rest of the day I've had only water. Tuesdays are the same, but I break my fast with the Tuesday evening meal.

I had already made it a habit of using my 25 minute drive to work as a time for prayer. I use the "ACTS" method... Adoration takes me across the Wildcat Creek, Confession takes me to State Road 19, Thanksgiving takes me to Highway 26, and Supplication takes me the rest of the way to work.

I have discovered that after fasting on Monday, my Tuesday morning prayers are very different. I am not distracted, and my mind does not wander. I am more focused, more tearful, more joyful, more repentant, and my perspective is more attuned to reality and less focused on the world.

I've come to believe that fasting is to prayer what wind is to sailing... It's what salt is to french fries... It's what prescription lenses are to the nearsighted... It's what gasoline is to a bonfire.

I am not a good man and I'm not disciplined, so I don't know how long I will adhere to this practice. But its effects are very interesting.

Fasting is not fun and it's not convenient... It is a spiritual discipline... And it rewards.

To my Christian friends I say, try it! And let me know if it changes your prayer life.

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4 comments:

Bekah said...

I love the methodical nature of your prayers. This OCD girl could wrap her mind around that!!

SkyePuppy said...

You have a typo in your title. It's supposed to be "Prayer and Feasting."

I thought you'd want to know...

Grammy said...

Oh,dear...my food...my precious food. It's such a clear biblical exhortation to fast AND pray. But my food...my precious food.

I will say that I have recently felt called to get up in the middle of the night to pray. I find that my prayer is much simpler because I'm too asleep to get very fancy. But I don't eat while I'm up to pray in the middle of the night. Does that count???

Remember the gruel diet?

Malott said...

Bekah,

It keeps me from leaving anything out... Also you notice that my favorite part - asking God for things - gets the largest portion of my time.

Skyepuppy,

I've been reading the NIV... Your translation sounds like more fun.

Grammy,
I remember the gruel diet.

With your problems with low blood sugar, fasting and prayer might either cause you to pass out, or maybe conjur a minor miracle...

But I will definitely consider your insomniac praying... I have many opportunities for that.