21 Days of Fasting and Prayer: Greater Things Sample

Fasting Brings Favor

One of the most encouraging aspects of fasting is inviting God’s favor into our lives. We desperately need God’s favor in our relationships, future, and finances, just to name a few. We also need God’s favor because there are times when life’s circumstances are out of our control. The results can be tragic when we are hit with an unforeseen difficulty. Although we may not be able to control our situation, we can dictate our response to it.

A great example in the Bible of why we need favor is Nehemiah. Nehemiah was confronted with catastrophic news and was desperate for God to intervene.

“Things are not going well for those who returned. They are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem has been torn down, and the gates have been destroyed by fire.” (Nehemiah 1:3)

This news was shocking, but Nehemiah’s righteous response would garner favor from God, which would bend the will of an enemy king and change the course of Israel’s history. What did he do? Nehemiah fasted and prayed, believing that God’s favor can turn around even the most hopeless situations!

“When I heard this, I sat down and wept. In fact, for days I mourned, fasted, and prayed to the God of Heaven.” (v.4)

His prayer was simple:

“Please grant me success today by making the king favorable to me. Put it into his heart to be kind to me.” (v.11)

His faith was profound, and God went above and beyond all Nehemiah asked.

God gave Nehemiah supernatural favor with the king. God took a king who was opposed to Israel and turned his heart to be gracious to them. God's favor turned around a seemingly impossible situation through prayer and fasting.

Be encouraged today that no matter what situation you may be facing, God can turn it around by imparting His favor on your life. As we fast and pray, we can be confident that God is on the move in our lives and is more than able to do the impossible in our situation!