Fasting: A Posture of Surrender Focused on Godಮಾದರಿ

A recent study estimated that "an average adult makes 35,000 remotely conscious decisions each day." At approximately seven hours of sleep a night, that is just shy of 35 decisions per minute. Every day. All day.

Clearly, some decisions can feel significant in the moment, like "What shoes should I wear to work?" or "What should I eat for lunch?" Still, other decisions like "Should I accept this job offer?" or "Is the person I am currently dating someone I should get married to?" have far more impact on the trajectory of our lives and the person we will become in the future.

Either way, God cares deeply about each decision we make. He desires for us to turn to Him in prayer, seeking guidance no matter how insignificant the decision might feel to us. Still, for those life-altering decisions that require far more time and consideration, He often will draw us into an intentional time of prayer and fasting - a time of waiting patiently in His presence until He reveals our next step forward.

Again and again, Scripture recounts stories of when God's people seek out His wisdom in a posture of prayer and fasting. In the ninth chapter of Daniel, we see one such example.

"In the first year of Darius son of Ahasuerus, by birth a Mede, who became king over the realm of the Chaldeans— in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, perceived in the books the number of years that, according to the word of the Lord to the prophet Jeremiah, must be fulfilled for the devastation of Jerusalem, namely, seventy years. Then I turned to the Lord God, to seek an answer by prayer and supplication with fasting and sackcloth and ashes. I prayed to the Lord my God and made confession, saying, "Ah, Lord, great and awesome God, keeping covenant and steadfast love with those who love you and keep your commandments, we have sinned and done wrong, acted wickedly and rebelled, turning aside from your commandments and ordinances. We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes, and our ancestors, and to all the people of the land." (Daniel‬ ‭9‬:‭1‬-‭6‬ ‭NRSV‬‬)

Like Daniel, when you and I find ourselves in a season of discernment, unsure of which way to turn, we would do well to lean into the practice of prayer and fasting. As we do, God, in His perfect timing, will be faithful to lead and guide our next steps.