NewPointe’s annual 21 Days of Prayer and Fasting starts today. You can go to newpointe.org/21days to find more information and motivation for this journey.
What is it? Well, prayer is connecting with God. Fasting is disconnecting from the world and all of it distractions.
We all think or talk about wanting to see God work in our lives, but we rarely think about this part of the equation: We get to choose how much God works in our lives. We have a part in God’s work, even in the lives of our families and children. These choices and God’s work are in a large way driven by our prayer lives. We have the privilege of asking God to work, not just in our own personal lives but also in the lives of our spouses, children, and extended families. We pray that God’s Kingdom will come and be done in their lives.
Prayer is essential and powerful because it does what nothing else can so powerfully do:
It builds a vital relationship with God, aligns human hearts with divine purposes, and brings inner peace. Prayer acts as a fundamental lifeline for spiritual survival and strength.
Colossians 4:2 tells us to devote ourselves to prayer and then says how to do it: “Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart.” We are to do it with alert minds, thinking and paying attention. We are to do it with thankful hearts, grateful for all God is and all He has already done.
Prayer is important because it helps us stay close to God. We know prayer is effective. It “works” because God promises it does. Prayer is the language of dependence. We learn that the wisdom for what needs to happen and the power to see it happen belongs to God. Truly, if we think of prayer from the standpoint of reason and feeling, we will want to pray. It is also human instinct when we sense a need that is beyond ourselves.
We likely all agree that if we prayed as much as we worry, we would have so much less to worry about. Worry is lethal. It kills joy, peace, contentment, confidence, and even relationships.
Prayer is like spiritual breathing. It serves as the constant communication needed to maintain faith, much like breathing maintains physical life. Prayer releases power. It connects human need directly to God's unlimited strength, enabling us to overcome obstacles and aid others.
Praying reminds us that we are not on our journey alone; we do not face our struggles or fight our battles alone. We have a mighty Partner who is omnipotent.
The bottom-line truth is that we cannot afford to be prayerless. Yet we treat prayer as optional.
Perhaps that is why we struggle so much mentally, emotionally, and relationally. We are going into life daily without the necessary power to face our challenges, even though it is offered to us. We overlook the power and wisdom God wants to give us through prayer and fasting.
The next 21 days are our opportunity to accept the invitation and draw close to God and see what we can do together.