As I write this on a Friday night, I’m very aware that the last thing most of you want to hear or think about as you begin your weekend is work. You’re probably either looking forward to spending the next two days with your family doing things you wouldn’t otherwise have time for, or, as in my case, are counting on a restful Saturday and Sunday to end one week and begin another. But as I’ve learned by way of experience over these last several months, living for a two day weekend is a tragic waste of the gift of life. If you wake up every Monday morning with a sigh of reluctance and drag off to work, already wishing it was Friday, then you’ll spend more than 70% of your life unhappy. Lamentations 3:22-23 reminds us that God’s mercies are new every morning – not just on our days off.

One way I’ve been able to realize God’s grace on a daily basis is to make the most of my commute. There are numerous ways to get to work from my house, but I make it a priority to take the scenic route whenever possible. Something about seeing the beauty of an autumn sunrise with worship music playing on my car stereo is able to dissolve that longing to go back to bed and pull the covers over my head. Of course if you live in the city the picture above may be the closest you’ll ever come to a scenic commute, but that’s not what matters; simply find a way to start your day off on the right foot by giving God the opportunity to reveal His love to you afresh.

“Cause me to hear Thy lovingkindness in the morning; for in Thee do I trust: cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; for I lift up my soul unto Thee.”

-Psalm 143:8

Finding 30 minutes to spend in a prayer closet every morning may be next to impossible for some people, especially if getting up at 4 AM barely gets you out the door on time. But the point is not for me to set in stone how you should spend your day with God; it’s for you to identify the often subtle, daily opportunities you may now be overlooking to spend time in prayer and fellowship with your heavenly Father. For me, this means not taking the interstate; for you, it may mean opening up the Bible during your lunch break and feasting on what Job valued even “more than [his] necessary food” (Job 23:12). If your love for God and desire to serve Him is sincere, He will provide and reveal more opportunities to serve Him than you ever realized you had. You just have to keep your eyes open.

“I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men;
For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all Godliness and honesty.”

               -I Timothy 2:1, 2

In case you haven’t looked at your calendar lately, today (Thursday) is the 60^th annual National Day of Prayer. Every first Thursday of May our government, not only allows, but actually encourages people to come together in prayer for both themselves and for their country. The holiday was signed into law by president Harry S. Truman on April 17, 1952, and has been an annual observance of our country for every year since. Of course this doesn’t mean that every lawmaker or president has actually supported the idea, but it has nevertheless remained an official holiday of the United States for what is now six decades. 

Of course the Word of God reminds us very plainly that prayer should be our steering wheel in life, and not simply our spare tire. We can’t just acknowledge God once in a year when we need something, but must instead put His will first in every decision that we make, trusting in Him to direct our paths in righteousness (Proverbs 3:6). Nevertheless, God has gifted His people with a special, yearly reminder to set aside the many distractions that often pull us away from Him (Hebrews 12:1) and to spend time humbly seeking Him in prayer concerning those things which are truly important.

“If my people, which are called by My name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”

               -II Chronicles 7:14

Today, I would like to encourage my fellow Christians to take a simple 30 minutes of your time and spend it in sincere prayer for God’s mercy upon our country. The problems we see in our government cannot and will not be fixed by mere elections or legal resolutions; it is only when we fall on our face before the mighty throne of God that we will have any hope of returning to a place of Divine blessing and favor. Will you join me?

Yes, it’s me again! I wanted to share this important prayer request with you guys, but it didn’t seem to fit in my last post smoothly. Anyway, I decided to go ahead and wrap up my series on fasting with this great message from Squeaks over at “The Minstrel Warrior.” Here it is:

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Many of you have heard of Emily B.; she’s a 16 year old girl living in England and is battling leukemia (a cancer of the white blood cells). Her button looks like this:

I’ve been reading Emily’s blog for a little while and I’ve been greatly encouraged by the strength of this young lady. She’s currently transporting her belongings to live in a hospital where she’ll be undergoing a 1 month period of isolation. {MY NOTE: To Undergo Cancer Treatment}

Let’s join together for OPERATION: COMBAT!  

So here’s how OPERATION: COMBAT is going to work…I want to gather a force of prayer warriors together that will willingly give up something important to them… and focus on God, praying for Emily’s healing from leukemia. OPERATION: COMBAT will take place 1 day before Emily begins her period of isolation and will continue for approximately one month (until Emily announces that she’s out of isolation)……

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Perhaps through this series you’ve decided you would like to fast more often, or perhaps start one for the very first time. If so, this is a worthwhile cause that I hope you’ll consider. I have the button on my sidebar that you can click to find out more info about it all (the above text was edited for length), and you can also get the grab code to put it on your own website or blog.

I’m a firm believer in the power of prayer, but I also believe that the more people we have praying the better! Won’t you join us and see what God will do!

“Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.”

                                                            -Matthew 6:16

Much like prayer, fasting should be a very personal thing that stays between you and God (and your parents if applicable). While some people like drawing attention to themselves and their wonderful religious deeds, the Christian’s ultimate goal should be to bring glory to God – something that isn’t accomplished with a “look-at-me” attitude. True, there are some instances when sharing a word or two with somebody about our fast might be an encouragement to them, but we should always make sure our motives are pure and the situation appropriate. In most cases, however, we needn’t let everybody on Facebook know, “I’m fasting today.”

I also believe it’s important to remember that fasting is much more than just missing out on something special in your life. Are you going to fast from the computer? Then don’t just stay away from the PC; move closer to God! Is the Lord dealing with you to give up a few meals this week? Then don’t just not eat; feast on God! I say this because I know it can be a real struggle to fill that gap in your day with something worthwhile. Sometimes we tend to be satisfied with the physical aspect of fasting and forget about the spiritual side of it, and therefore miss the whole point. Don’t let this happen to you.

Finally, we should remember that our God has a perfect will, and we should always be willing to compromise our desires for His. For example, earlier this evening I was reading in 2 Samuel 12 where David went on an intense fast when his son’s life was in jeopardy due to a severe illness. For 7 days, he ate nothing. But despite this great act of faith, God said ‘no’ and took his son anyway. Yet instead of turning his back on God and losing faith in the power of prayer, David got up, dusted himself off, and moved on. It wasn’t that he didn’t love his son; rather, he understood that the Lord had a reason for doing what He did that reached much further than his own short-sightedness. Fasting doesn’t twist God’s arm into giving us what we want; it is a tangible way of showing Him how sincerely we desire it.

I’ve been blogging for nearly a year now and have written more than 200 devotionals for you guys, but I just realized a moment ago that I am yet to touch on the subject of fasting. And as important as fasting is, I’d like to take this opportunity to share and discuss a few Scriptures on the subject.

“Go, gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast ye for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day: I also and my maidens will fast likewise; and so will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish.”

                                       -Esther 4:16

Traditionally, fasting is considered to be a period of abstinence from food (and sometimes water) for the purpose of intensified prayer and drawing closer to God. Many times, a person will fast when seeking direction from God, or when they or somebody else they know has a need in their life that needs attention. What to fast from and how long to continue fasting is generally decided by the individual concerned, although making these decisions through prayerful consideration is always a good idea.

“Neither have I gone back from the commandment of his lips; I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food.”

                                                                   -Job 23:12

Besides creating more time to spend in prayer and Bible study, fasting also shows the Lord how important He is to you. Think about it. When you put Him before food (or whatever else you may be fasting from), you are saying, in essence, “God, You are more important to me than anything. I would rather miss a meal than miss out on time spent with You!” The Lord greatly honors this kind of commitment, and our additional prayers may be just what it takes to break through the barrier that stands in our way. Additionally, fasting has the strange ability to give us a renewed zeal and  love for God that lasts much longer than the fast itself. In my opinion, that simple truth alone makes any hunger pains more than worth the end result.

Another type of fasting which you may be more familiar with, and that has become even more popular in recent days, is that of abstaining from some material thing in your life. This could include television, video games, recreational reading, or anything else you think you could use a break from. I’ve participated in this type of fasting many times, and it can be just as beneficial as the traditional method given the proper circumstances. Not only does it create more time to spend with God, but it can also help to break any bad habits we may have developed. On the other hand,  if you’re the type of person that doesn’t waste too much time on trivial things, this may not be the way to go. Once again, prayerful consideration is the best way to determine how you should fast  and for what length of time.

Whatever you choose to fast from, the Lord will honor your desire to draw closer to Him and bless you for it. Whether it means missing a meal or your favorite T.V show, no fast that is done in a spirit of true worship and humility is a wasted effort.