Happy Friday, Church!
This Sunday Pastor Mark is diving into the book of Esther to help us unpack the spiritual gift of fasting. His sermon summary is so beautiful I thought I'd post it here for you to read. Before I do that let me share with you a special memory I have of the first time I ever fasted.
I went to a private Christian school here in Washington for middle school and high school- so we often had chapels and very youth group-like events. One of those events they called the "Hunger Drive"- it was an all-night event where students stayed for worship, games, and other activities, all while fasting. In the morning we'd go door-to-door to collect non-perishable foods to bring to the local food bank.
During the worship service that night I remember we were singing those 90's camp-worship songs. And at the time, I just felt like I was singing into the abyss. Until we got to the song, "Here I Am to Worship" (remember that one?). We got to the chorus which says,
"Here I am to worship
Here I am to bow down
Here I am to say that you're my God
You're altogether lovely
Altogether worthy
Altogether wonderful to me My Lord"
As these words fell out of my mouth I suddenly understood I wasn't singing into an abyss- I was singing directly to the Lord. How precious that felt then - and how precious it feels now. I love what Pastor Mark says in his summary below, "Fasting is a powerful spiritual discipline that helps align our hearts more closely with the heart of God."
May you know that God is just waiting for you to tune your heart to him- to listen to him- because God is always speaking, always pursuing you, and always present.
Here is what Pastor Mark says,
"The primary goal of fasting is to draw nearer to God. Fasting is a powerful spiritual discipline that helps align our hearts more closely with the heart of God. Once the primary purpose is firmly fixed in our hearts, we are at liberty to understand that there are also secondary purposes in fasting.
We will only focus on two of the many secondary purposes of fasting. First, we fast in order to be transformed in our character and become more in tune with God. Second, we fast when we are seeking a breakthrough or direction. God gives direction and clarity and does the impossible when we humble ourselves and seek him through prayer and fasting.
In the book of Esther, we see the Jewish community gathering together to fast for three days. As a result, God gave Esther confidence to approach the king who responded favorably, and the Jews were saved from being exterminated. Through fasting, Esther and the Jewish community in exile witnessed God doing something that was impossible in the eyes of man, but only possible in the eyes of God.
In light of this, we want to rebuild our church, but we cannot do it by our own strength or abilities. We want God to be the foundation and director of this vision that He has given us. We cannot rebuild our church unless the Lord rebuilds it Himself. So, we want to kick of our vision to REBUILD together by turning to God in prayer and fasting and ask Him to direct our steps as we embark on rebuilding His church together."
See you Sunday,
Chelsea Maitland