Esther 4:13-17 “Then Mordecai commanded to answer Esther, Think not with thyself that thou shalt escape in the king’s house, more than all the Jews. For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father’s house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou are come to the kingdom for such a time as this? Then Esther bade them return Mordecai this answer, Go, gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast ye for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day: I also and my maidens will fast likewise; and so will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish. So Mordecai went his way, and did according to all that Esther had commanded him.”
Matthew 17:19-21 “Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out? And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you. Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.”
In times of national desperation, Esther called upon the people of God to fast. In times of spiritual standoff, Jesus called upon the people of God to fast.
Fasting isn’t a quaint spiritual footnote that is no longer relevant to God’s people today. It is a fundamental part of Biblical doctrine and an essential part of a spiritual walk that seeks to truly get ahold of God. It reveals a faith-filled, sacrificial emptying of oneself to make room for the Lord Himself.
In just the examples in the passages above, the combination of prayer and fasting were explained and demonstrated to be powerful tools in the hands of God’s committed followers. These practices had the power and the potency to transform a nation, empower and embolden leaders, deliver a people, defeat evil, illuminate the path forward, and exalt the righteous. Prayer and fasting were explained to be able to move mountains, literally and figuratively, and can do so today.
In our time of national desperation, we need our nation transformed, our leaders empowered and emboldened, our people delivered, evil defeated, the path forward illuminated, and the righteous exalted.
PLEASE FERVENTLY PRAY AND FAST FOR OUR NATION DURING THESE UNCERTAIN TIMES. In the midst of our challenges, we need God to move the mountains around us. A miracle in America today goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.
Please see this previous post for a related thought:
