Prayer (6/15/04)

Being a part of this list has taught me so much. Probably more than I even know. But I'd have to say the biggest thing is that it has strengthened my prayer life immensely.

I've been thinking about that a lot… trying to understand why fasting does such a great job of strengthening prayer. The conclusion I came to is that it hinges on our selfish nature. The fact that I'm selfish at heart is what makes fasting work for me. If I start a normal day out saying "today I'm going to pray for missionaries in Haiti" I will probably remember to do so 3 or 4 times throughout the day. If I intended on praying for a week, the prayer times would slowly decrease over the week. By the last day, Haiti may not even come to mind at all. However, as soon as I link the prayer topic to my stomach, the dynamic changes dramatically. On a day of fasting, during the first few hours I might pray 2 or 3 times. By the end of the day, my stomach is reminding me to pray every half hour. Imagine what it would be like to fast and pray for a topic for a whole week.

Developing a strong prayer life and strong reliance on prayer is a critical part of our relationship with Christ. It takes that personal suffering to really put the fire under my prayer life. The second part of 2 Corinthians 12:10 says "… for when I am weak, then I am strong".

So this week we are praying for our fast. As we fast this Wednesday and allow hunger to hit us in that personal way, let's pray for our prayer lives. Let's pray that this group and this fast teaches us what it is meant to teach us - how to rely on prayer in all things.

Have a great week and a great fast.
Your brother,
Bob