Fasting & Praying Guide预览

The psalmist invites us to “taste and see that the Lord is good” (Ps. 34:8a). What does it actually mean to taste the goodness of God? What would it mean for you to know deep within (even in your empty gut!) what the psalmist says elsewhere: “How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!” (Ps. 119:103). We have an opportunity in the coming weeks to cleanse our palates, which have grown too fond of lesser tastes, so that we can experience afresh the sweet taste of the goodness of our God and His Word.

Reflection:

Let’s take a moment to step back from our constant striving and rest in full confidence and joy because of what Jesus has already done for us.

Hebrews 10 is so powerful:

“And since we now have a magnificent High Priest to welcome us into God’s house, we come closer to God and approach Him with an open heart, fully convinced that nothing will keep us at a distance from Him. For our hearts have been sprinkled with blood to remove impurity, and we have been freed from an accusing conscience. Now we are clean, unstained, and presentable to God inside and out!”

I’m reminded of when my dad took me into the Bekaa Valley of Lebanon during Ramadan. At sunset, they slaughtered lambs to break their fasts. As a child, it was overwhelming and traumatic to witness the sounds, smells, and sights of hundreds of animals sacrificed. Thousands of people participated in sacrificial striving, with no assurance that God would hear them.

How different is our approach to fasting! We enter with the full assurance of faith—that God is not only listening, but He is already acting on our behalf.

Let’s stop striving and rest in the completed work of Jesus. How might stepping back from striving help you draw closer to Him in faith during this fast?