Pouring Our Hearts Out in Prayer
The Fellowship | July 10, 2022
Bishop Paul Lanier, The Fellowship’s Chairman of the Board, reflects on the meaning of our upcoming Fellowship Fast.
If you reached out to our loving God in Heaven right now, what would you pray for? Perhaps for those in war-torn Ukraine who are suffering, or for refugees who fled and were separated from family. Perhaps you’d pray for Israel and ask God to protect His people from anti-Semitism and hatred. On a personal level, maybe you would pray for relief from the pain of loneliness, financial struggle, or sickness.
We live in a world that sometimes seems dominated by hatred, fear, and division. And so, we must pour out our hearts in prayer. We must pray for The Fellowship, and pray that God will work through us and our ministry to save Jewish lives and bless Israel. We must pray for our world, and that He will watch over each and every one of us in this extraordinary Fellowship family.
Let’s Pray and Fast Together
Soon there will be an opportunity for us all to pray together. I am excited to announce that this year we will again be hosting what has become an annual event: the Fellowship Fast.
What is the Fellowship Fast? It’s a day set aside every year that touches us at the deepest level of our faith by engaging us in prayer and the biblical discipline of fasting. In the Bible, we see that Moses, when he’s at Mount Sinai, fasted for 40 days and 40 nights. Elijah, the prophet in the midst of a holy war against Ahab and Jezebel, also fasted 40 days and 40 nights. Christians will remember that Jesus did the same when he was in the wilderness being tempted by the devil.
Why is fasting important? Fasting means stepping back from the table for the sake of the altar. It’s an act of discipline and consecration when we say to ourselves: I’m not trying to change what God is saying. I’m determined to change myself so I can hear what He is saying. I’m looking at my desires, my philosophies, my pain, my fears, and saying: You don’t define me. You don’t get to tell me who I am. And I’m going to begin to strip myself of all these things that want to own me. I belong to God, so I’m stepping back from the table of consumption for the sake of Covenant, for the sake of a conversation with Him.
The Fellowship Fast can be many things. You might refrain from a meal. You might refrain from some kind of entertainment. You might refrain from some habit that pulls you away from being part of that conversation with God.
Join The Fellowship Fast
As we prepare to step into our annual Fellowship Fast, we do so as part of this Fellowship family that engages in the glory of the Lord. We’re doing this together. We are part of what God is doing in the world, through Israel, through the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews. I’m so grateful that you and I get to be a part of this.
I pray that you’ll join us on July 25. Throughout the day, we’re going to be talking and fasting and praying. And later on that night, we’re going to have a gathering online when we’ll pray together, and celebrate all that God is doing in and through us. And Yael’s going to be a part of this too, sharing with us some remarkable teachings, and engaging the presence and power of God.
On July 25 on Facebook, join the Fellowship family by stepping back from the table together. And we’ll see each other at the altar.
Bishop Paul Lanier