Prayer and A Conformed Life

11 When Solomon had finished the temple of the LORD and the royal palace, and had succeeded in carrying out all he had in mind to do in the temple of the LORD and in his own palace, 12 the LORD appeared to him at night and said: "I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for myself as a temple for sacrifices.
13 "When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, 14if my people, who are called by my name, will 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. 15Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place.
2 Chronicles 7:11-15


The people of Israel had reached the pinnacle of their position as the Chosen People of God. As a nation they had been birthed through Abraham, taken out of slavery through the help of Moses, taken into the promised land by Joshua, prospered under the Judges and been given a line of Kingdom through David. Now under Solomon they had completed the Temple as instructed by their God and were asking for His blessing on them and what they hoped would become His new home. And God answers their prayer with a resounding YES! But the Lord God of Israel warns them of more difficult times ahead and gives them a formula for dealing with the future: humble themselves, pray, seek His face and turn to obedience to God’s ways. Then, once again, God will hear, forgive and restore the nation. As we spend time thinking about our prayer life with God we might also look at the other three aspects of God’s direction to His people.

Humbling ourselves is another way of saying that we might not always be right and that we might, at least on occasion, want to listen to what correction God might want to give us. Acknowledging that God might know more than we do and trusting His direction can be very humbling. Yesterday we introduced the possibility of fasting alongside our prayer. Denying ourselves food or other activities is another way of humbling ourselves and saying to God that He is more important than aspects of our own regular habits or desires. It is a way of putting Him before us.

The Old Testament is full of examples of the people of God seeking either God’s face (relationship with Him) or the work of His hand (His deeds on their behalf). Here Solomon is told that it is out of relationship that a continued blessing will come – not just out of the occasional rescue or obliging environment which God could produce. Again, occasional fasting combined with regular prayer can keep us focussed on our dependence on God and our desire for increased relationship with Him.

Finally, our lives need to reflect all of this spiritual discipline. If we are focussed on God, seeking a developing relationship with Him, putting Him first in our lives, denying aspects of ourselves, there should be some evidence of this in our lives. Turning from our wicked ways, or those things which displease God, should be a constant theme in our work, our family life and our relationships with friends. There should be heavenly product in our lives and we should begin to look more and more like our Father in Heaven.
Seeking a greater intimacy with God and a greater empowering in His prayer life through fasting was the testimony of the well known Evangelist Bill Bright. In his book, The Transforming Power of Fasting and Prayer, written shortly before his death just five years ago, he says:
“After forty-five years of emphasizing evangelism, discipleship, and fulfilment of the Great Commission, some may think that I have gone off on a tangent with my strong emphasis on fasting and prayer. The fact is that the best way to help individuals become evangelists for Christ is to bring them into a relationship with God in which the Holy Spirit renews them. Only fasting meets the criteria of each aspect of 2 Chronicles 7:14. When you humble yourself and pray and seek God’s face and turn from your wicked ways, something happens to you and you get excited about the Lord in a way that you do not through any other means.
“Why fasting?
“First, Christians who fast say that it sharpens and sensitizes their spiritual faculties to become more in tune with what God is doing throughout the world….
“Second, fasting results in greater intimacy with and a deeper enthusiasm for God, which in turn spills over into every other area of life. The joy of the Lord becomes much more visible to others, and the motivation to witness is greater….
“Third, fasting prepares us for a spiritual harvest. Today, people throughout the world are hungry for the gospel. I have been a believer since 1944, and I can assure you that God is doing a great and powerful work, unprecedented in this century. This is most definitely a remarkable time of harvest.”

As we seek God’s face at The Church Of The Cross, let us also humble ourselves, pray and turn towards God’s ways. Let us allow Him to draw us ever closer and to equip us for the work to which we are called as His disciples. As a special appendix to today’s devotional, below is a further excerpt from Bill Bright’s book which may help a bit with the “how to” of fasting prayer.

Mike Clarkson




FASTING: 7 BASIC STEPS TO SUCCESSFUL FASTING & PRAYER
(BILL BRIGHT)

Step 1: Set Your Objective
Why are you fasting? Is it for spiritual renewal, for guidance, for healing, for the resolution of problems, for special grace to handle a difficult situation? Ask the Holy Spirit to clarify His leading and objectives for your prayer fast. This will enable you to pray more specifically and strategically.

Step 2: Make Your Commitment
Pray about the kind of fast you should undertake. Jesus implied that all of His followers should fast. For Him it was a matter of when His followers should fast, not if they should do it. Before you fast, decide the following up front:
- How long you will fast – one meal, one day, a week, several weeks
- The type of fast God wants you to undertake
- What physical or social activities you will restrict
- How much time each you will devote to prayer and God’s word

Step 3: Prepare Yourself Spiritually
The very foundation of fasting and prayer is repentance. Unconfessed sin will hinder your prayers. Confession, forgiveness and restitution are a beginning. Ask God to fill you with His Holy Spirit. Meditate on the attributes of God. Do not underestimate spiritual opposition. Satan sometimes intensifies the natural battle between body and spirit.

Step 4: Prepare Yourself Physically
Fasting requires reasonable precautions. Consult your physician first, especially if you take prescription medication or have a chronic ailment. Prepare your body. Eat smaller meals before starting a fast.

Step 5: Put Yourself On A Schedule
For maximum spiritual benefit, set aside ample time to be alone with the Lord. Listen for His leading. The more time you spend with Him, the more meaningful your fast will be.

Step 6: End Your Fast Gradually
Begin eating gradually. Do not eat solid foods immediately after your fast. Suddenly reintroducing solid food to your stomach and digestive tract will likely have negative, even dangerous consequences. Try several smaller meals or snacks each day.

Step 7: Expect Results
If you sincerely humble yourself before the Lord, repent, pray, and seek God’s face; if you constantly meditate on His word, you will experience a heightened awareness of His presence. You will feel mentally, spiritually, and physically refreshed. You will see answers to your prayers.