The Significance of Prayer and Fasting in the Days of Awe
I want to express gratitude to the Lord for each of you who have chosen to dedicate this time during the Jewish high holy days to fast and pray with us. Unlike the Gregorian calendar’s New Year, which begins in January and is often celebrated with festivities, the Jewish calendar starts in the fall with Yom Kippur. This new year is marked by the first prophetic 10 Days of Awe, a period characterized by introspection, repentance, and reconciliation—both with God and with fellow humans.
This unique mindset guides our journey of prayer and fasting this week. It is believed that the way you conduct yourself and your devotion at the start of the new year will influence what the year ahead holds.
The Fallacy of the Comfort Zone
God’s desire for us, as Christians, is to continually grow and become more like Christ—in character, image, and fruit. Through His divine power and the grace given to us by Jesus Christ, we are empowered to overcome the weaknesses of the flesh. Yet, living a life of grace without clear spiritual goals and standards can lead us into a comfort zone, where we exist without awareness of God’s expectations for us to strive toward perfection, as He commands in Matthew 5:48 and 1 Peter 1:16.
During times of prayer and fasting, we invite the Holy Spirit to reveal the blind spots in our lives—those places where comfort has fenced us in and obscured our view of God’s higher calling. In 2 Corinthians 10:5-7, Paul highlights the spiritual weapons God has provided for us to wage war against strongholds, mindsets, arguments, and imaginations that the enemy uses to keep us confined to our comfort zones. These forces tempt us to believe we are fine as we are and encourage us to defend choices that may go against God’s will for our lives.
Casting Down Strongholds: The Meaning of “Kathaireo”
The Greek word translated as “casting down” in this passage is Kathaireo. This term is significant because it conveys the idea of forcibly yanking something down, ensuring that nothing is left standing in its place. In the context of our spiritual journey, this means that moving beyond our comfort zones into the promises God has for us requires intentional and forceful action. We are called to tear down every barrier—whether of the flesh or otherwise—that stands in our way and keeps us confined. The process is not passive; it demands that we actively remove every obstruction that would hinder our growth or contain us, leaving no obstacle intact.
Self-Examination Questions for Spiritual Growth
As you embark on this journey of prayer and fasting, it is important to take time for sincere self-examination. Consider the following questions to help you discern where you may need to begin your personal process of introspection and growth:
- Obedience to God’s Promptings: Reflect on whether there is anything God has impressed upon your heart to do, yet you have resisted or delayed taking action. Are there areas where procrastination or reluctance has kept you from stepping forward in faith?
- Persistent Sin Struggles: Is there a continual presence of a particular sin struggle that has become ingrained in your character or mannerisms? Recognize patterns that may have settled into your daily life and consider how they can be addressed.
- Relationships and Reconciliation: Examine your relationships with others. Is there ongoing strife, unforgiveness, or unresolved conflict with someone who relies on you to initiate peace? Contemplate what steps you can take toward reconciliation.
- The Power of Your Words: Assess your speech. Have your words consistently brought life and blessing to others—and to yourself? Or have you found that your words sometimes bring negativity, resembling both “salty and fresh water” from the same source?
- Fulfillment of Vows and Promises: Think about any vows or promises you made to God over the past year. Were there commitments that have gone unfulfilled? Take this opportunity to revisit and honor those intentions.
- Stewardship of God’s Gifts: If Jesus were to come today and review your life, how are you using the gifts He has entrusted to you? Are your resources—such as time and money—being invested in building your own kingdom, or are they advancing the kingdom of heaven? Reflect on your faithfulness in managing what He has given you.
- Cycles of Success and Failure: Are you experiencing a recurring pattern of failure and success that seems to stop just short of a breakthrough? Consider what might be holding you back and how you can break free from this cycle.
- Discouragement and Unanswered Prayer: Do you often feel discouraged because it appears your prayers are going unanswered? Use this time to seek understanding and renewed hope in God’s faithfulness, even when answers are delayed.
Meditative Psalm 139
O Lord, You have searched me and known me.
You know my sitting down and my rising up;
You understand my thought afar off.
You [a]comprehend my path and my lying down,
And are acquainted with all my ways.
For there is not a word on my tongue,
But behold, O Lord, You know it altogether.
You have [b]hedged me behind and before,
And laid Your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
It is high, I cannot attain it.
Where can I go from Your Spirit?
Or where can I flee from Your presence?
If I ascend into heaven, You are there;
If I make my bed in [c]hell, behold, You are there.
If I take the wings of the morning,
And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
Even there Your hand shall lead me,
And Your right hand shall hold me.
If I say, “Surely the darkness shall [d]fall on me,”
Even the night shall be light about me;
Indeed, the darkness [e]shall not hide from You,
But the night shines as the day;
The darkness and the light are both alike to You.
For You formed my inward parts;
You [f]covered me in my mother’s womb.
I will praise You, for [g]I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Marvelous are Your works,
And that my soul knows very well.
My [h]frame was not hidden from You,
When I was made in secret,
And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.
Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed.
And in Your book they all were written,
The days fashioned for me,
When as yet there were none of them.