prayer and fasting
So I did a study on prayer and fasting for our students. I thought I'd share it further. Here's the sheet we passed out.
There are a few guiding biblical passages that are important as you fast and pray.
2 Samuel 12:22-23 David replied, “I fasted and wept while the child was alive, for I said, ‘Perhaps the Lord will be gracious to me and let the child live.’
2 Chronicles 20:3 Jehoshaphat was terrified by this news and begged the Lord for guidance. He also ordered everyone in Judah to begin fasting.
Esther 4:16 Go and gather together all the Jews of Susa and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for the three days, night or day. My maids and I will do the same. And then, though it is against the law, I will go in to see the king.
Matthew 6: 16-18 [Jesus said,] “And when you fast, don’t make it obvious, as the hypocrites do, for they try to look miserable and disheveled so people will admire them for their fasting. I tell you the truth, that is the only reward they will ever get. But when you fast, comb your hair and wash your face. Then no one will notice that you are fasting, except your Father, who knows what you do in private. And your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.
Matthew 9:15 But some day the groom [Jesus] will be taken away from them, and then they will fast. [Jesus was assuming we would start fasting after he went back to heaven!]
Do’s and Don’ts
Do… fast from food and pray when you would normally eat.
Don’t… use fasting to lose weight.
Do… drink water or juice while you fast.
Don’t… get dehydrated!
Do… talk to your parents about what you’re doing.
Don’t… brag about fasting to seem spiritual to others.
Do… start small and begin to fast from only one meal at first; then begin to fast for more meals at a time.
Don’t… try a forty-day fast unless you’ve been fasting regularly for awhile.
Do… fast.
Don’t… neglect this important part of your Christian life.
Comments