21 Days of Prayer & Fasting

Introduction

As we begin a new year, our dependence on God seems as obvious as ever. In new ways, we feel the reality of Jesus’ words, “…apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). We as a church, and as individuals, can do nothing apart from God’s work. For that reason, we want to start the year by having our church family come together for 21 days of prayer and fasting. Our hope is for this experience to anchor us to our purpose as the people of God at NP Berean.

Here are a few examples of what prayer and fasting can look like over the next 21 days.

Praying is spiritual breathing, essential for our life in God. As we meditate on God’s Word, we breathe in the promises and purposes of God. In prayer, we breathe out, responding to God’s Word to us. Each day in this guide, there will be one verse and a few prayer responses for you to guide your praying. Throughout the 21 days, you will be praying for specific areas in your life, our church, and our mission. Together, let’s put our faith into action, trusting in the promises of God for us and our church. Below are some helpful tips on how to make the most of this guide.

• Commit to a specific time each day to devote to prayer. Find a place where you can be free of distractions and be alone with God.

• Use the prayer points and Scripture in this guide to focus and fuel your praying. Write the Scripture and prayer point on a card and carry it with you, post it on your social media, make it the lock screen on your phone – whatever you can think of to keep these prompts in front of you. Use them throughout the day and invite others to join you in praying.

• You can take it a step further by journaling your prayers each day, simply writing out your prayers to God. It’s a great opportunity to hide God’s Word in your heart, working to memorize the verses as you meditate and pray.

• In addition, you may consider ways to pray with others during this season. Set up a Zoom call with friends or members of your small group. Pray together as a family.

Why do we fast? Simply put, the goal of fasting is to turn ourselves from worldly things and set our minds and hearts fully on God. It is not a way to manipulate God or coerce him to hear and answer our prayers, but rather it acknowledges our complete dependence on him. Fasting awakens us to the reality that we are so often driven by our fleshly desires and appetites. It humbles us and awakens us to our great need for and reliance on God. As you consider fasting, we want to encourage you to listen to the Holy Spirit. Ask God to lead you in this time of seeking his face. Whether you choose to fast for one day, several days, or the entire 21 days, the point is to humble yourself in a new way and draw near to God. Here are some ideas of what you could choose.

• A selective fast, eliminating certain things from your diet. Eating only fruits and vegetables – what some might call a “Daniel fast” – is an example of this type of fasting.

• A partial fast, refraining from eating for a set period of time each day. You could choose to fast from a single meal or from sunup to sundown.

• A complete fast, refraining from eating and only drinking liquids for particular days or even an extended period of time.

• If fasting from food is not possible, you may feel led by the Lord to fast from something else, such as social media, television, or certain times or activities on your cell phone.

• For more information and help on fasting, read these articles from cru.org: 7 Basic Steps to Successful Fasting and Prayer and 6 Ingredients That Will Help You Fast From Technology.

Church family, let’s earnestly seek the face of God with great expectation as we wait for his revelation and instruction through these 21 days of prayer and fasting.

“‘Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.’” – Jeremiah 33:3 (NIV)

This isn’t the end; it’s just the beginning. Samuel Chadwick said, “The greatest answer to prayer is more prayer.” As we see God move and answer our prayers, that only serves to increase our awareness of our need for his intervention in our lives. It creates a greater longing to see him move. He has delighted us and satisfied us with his great love. But that has simply stirred a greater desire and yearning to be with him. Praying calls us to pray even more.

Jesus made an astounding promise to us: “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you” (John 15:16, emphasis added). God chose us to bear fruit and bring him glory. He promised to hear and answer when we pray. What would it look like for you to continue to call out to God for his people and his purposes in the world? What might God do if we just prayed?

We want to encourage you to continue some of the disciplines you’ve developed over the last few weeks. Maintain a set time to pray each day. Commit to fasting as you continue to seek God. Use a daily Bible reading plan to lead your praying. Keep a prayer journal, writing out your prayers. Participate in Saturday prayer and worship nights and other prayer gatherings throughout the year. Print out this 21-day prayer and fasting guide (or use the downloadable version or the calendar above) and work through it again, or try another method of praying from the Scriptures, such as praying from the Psalms of the Day (more info here) or using one of Paul’s prayers – e.g. Philippians 1:9-11, Ephesians 1:16-20, Colossians 1:9-14 – to pray for someone (just fill in their name whenever he says “you”). There’s too much at stake for us to stop now. Let’s pray.

“…if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” – 2 Chronicles 7:14