Fasting 3 - Enhances Prayers

The Miracle at Dunkirk

- May 1940 - Nazis have overrun France - British for are trapped on the beach of Dunkirk - Oddly Hitler tells his forces to halt ten miles away from the Dunkirk - Then the city is enveloped in a thick mist which makes bombing impossible - also the notoriously rough waters of the English channel are made calm allowing civilian boats to rescue the vulnerable soldiers -

- A little known fact, King George before the impending attack called for the nation to pray and fast. Over the next three days all of the troops were saved and likely stopped the conquering of Britain.

Many refer to this as the Miracle at Dunkirk

Miracle or Coincidence?

Here’s what we know - All through scripture fasting go together. Like a high school science experiment there is a “chemical reaction” when we combine fasting and prayer. The two go hand in hand.

INTRO

The last few weeks we’ve been speaking about the practice of fasting and the benefits. Week one was about offering our whole selves to Jesus. Week two we last week we talked about growing in holiness and setting our lives apart for Gods purposes. And this week we’ll be discussing how fasting amplifies our prayers.

We’ve talked a lot about prayer over the last few months. From scripture helps amplify our prayers to help better hear God and be heard by God.

Hear God

Acts 13:1–3 ESV

1 Now there were in the church at Antioch prophets and teachers, Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen a lifelong friend of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. 2 While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” 3 Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off.

Notice that it is when they are fasting and praying that they receive direction from the Lord. Again fasting gets us in touch in a deeper way with the voice of God. Many people take times of fasting in order to receive direction and guidance in their lives. Whether its a job situation a relationship, or just a difficult situation, fasting puts our whole selves into a heightened awareness of God’s leading.

We see the evidence of this in nature. Fasting…

Increases blood flow to the brain

Increases neuroplasticity

decreases depression and anxiety

Increases calm and well being

Increases interoception

Slows or reverses Alzheimers

It comes at know surprise that their is evidence for God’s ways that can be visibly seen in the world around us.

It’s important to remember that this is the affects of consistent fasting over a long period of time

Some may have noticed that they seem more irritable or foggy during their fast. That is a result of your body not being used to the lack of food.

However, if you put yourself into a position to regularly practice fasting and your body adjusts, you will experience the benefits of the greater awareness of God’s voice.

We also become distinctly aware of how much time is invested to food or some other habit that we may be abstaining from. Whether it’s cooking, grocery shopping, or how much time it takes to go out to eat. If your abstaining from social media or shopping, you become acutely aware how much time it takes to indulge yourself in those rhythms.

"I'm able to gain perspective on how unbalanced is the amount of time, energy and effort that I put into my body and into my Spirit... When we choose to sacrifice a need of the body to place more importance on a need of the spirit, God Himself sits up and takes notice. The heavens are opened to us in a way that might not have otherwise been."

-Priscilla Shirer

Fasting doesn’t just put us into a position to hear but also for God to speak.

Joel 2:12 ESV

12 “Yet even now,” declares the Lord, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning;

Jeremiah 29:12–13 ESV

12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. 13 You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.

We will surely hear from God when we set aside our whole selves to tune ourselves to His voice.

Psalm 143:8 NIV

8 Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life.

John Mark Comer breaks it down nicely this way: Fasting gives us a practice where we can mature spiritually by moving from “wise decision making” to discernment. In other words “What’s the best decision to make my life better?” to “What’s God will for my life?” And this leads us to the greater maturity of control to submission.

Be Heard by God

It’s not just about hearing but also to be heard.

Acts 13:3 (ESV)

3 Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off.

Isaiah 58:4 NET

4 Look, your fasting is accompanied by arguments, brawls, and fistfights. Do not fast as you do today, trying to make your voice heard in heaven.

Fasting is a way to “pray through” those barriers that so often arise in our prayer life. It is a way to “tear down the walls” as we fight the spiritual battle with not just our mental focus, but our whole selves.

Grandad saved at a revival because of Aunt Atha fasting

Healthy Expectations

We must remember that fasting isn’t a way of holding God hostage with our hunger. We can’t manipulate God into acting the way that we want Him to act.

Fasting again, is a way to hear and be heard. Not force God to hear and do what we say.

Jeremiah 29:13 (ESV)

13 You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.

The Father seems to find tremendous value in being sought. As we talked about in the lessons about the Lords Prayer: the Lord instructs to ask, seek, and knock because He is deeply relational. He wants us to commune with Him not just with one part of ourselves but with our whole selves. We see through Scripture that he honors our fasting in a unique way for this reason.

Jonah 3:5–10 (ESV)

5 And the people of Nineveh believed God. They called for a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least of them. 6 The word reached the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, removed his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. 7 And he issued a proclamation and published through Nineveh, “By the decree of the king and his nobles: Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything. Let them not feed or drink water, 8 but let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and let them call out mightily to God. Let everyone turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands. 9 Who knows? God may turn and relent and turn from his fierce anger, so that we may not perish.” 10 When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way, God relented of the disaster that he had said he would do to them, and he did not do it.

These two terms in the Hebrew use the same word Niham > Repent > Relent or Change Your Mind. When we turn from our wickedness, God turns from his judgement toward us.

Moses > God’s judgement changes toward Isreal

The primary purpose

We must not forget that the primary purpose of these practices is dwelling with God. So when we fast we can be assured that we can hear and be heard by God.