Faith Foundations: Living for What Matters MostНамуна

Walking with God through Prayer and Fasting

One of my favorite Bible verses is Genesis 5:24, because in just four powerful words it sums up the life of a man named Enoch: he walked with God. In a way, that’s the essence of everything we’ve been unpacking in this reading plan over the past week: finding joy in God’s glory as we walk with him and magnifying him among all nations as he guides us to do so. When we walk daily with God, the revealing of his purposes in the world (through us) will be the natural outcome.

Two ways we can practice walking with God in our everyday lives is by praying and fasting. I’ll give you two acrostics, PRAY and FAST, to help you remember how these spiritual disciplines play out in our lives. Let’s start with PRAY:

PRAISE – worshiping God for who he is and thanking him for all he’s done.

REPENT – humbly confessing our shortcomings and recognizing our need for God’s grace.

ASK – praying for God’s guidance and seeking his daily help and provision.

YIELD – surrendering our lives to God and trusting him to carry out his will in and through us.

Jesus emphasizes the power and importance of prayer in Matthew 6:5–15. The invitation to engage in private conversation with our Creator is awe-inspiring, to say the least. Jesus encourages us to seek solitude when we meet with God in prayer, because our Father isn’t impressed by showmanship. He rewards those who truly seek him.

Following on from his explanation of prayer, Jesus talks to his disciples about another foundational discipline that’s as vital as prayer when it comes to aligning ourselves with God’s priorities: fasting (Matthew 6:16–18). Here’s a way to remember what it means to FAST:

FOCUS – centering our thoughts on God as we sincerely desire to know and enjoy him above all else.

ABSTAIN – giving up food (for a day or a meal or some other set time) while reminding ourselves that we prioritize God above even life’s basic necessities.

SUBSTITUTE – spending the time we’d normally be eating in prayer and Bible reading.

TASTE – experiencing and enjoying God’s goodness through the practice of fasting (Psalm 34:8–10).

You’ll never regret taking God up on his invitation to walk with him through prayer and fasting. Doing so will help you to enjoy and glorify God, and to exalt him throughout the world. Incredibly, Jesus promises divine reward for those who earnestly seek him through these gracious means. In light of this, consider asking yourself: what are a couple of specific ways God is calling me to enjoy and exalt him more through prayer and fasting?