21 Days of Prayer & Fasting 2023: The Why

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 3
Our Purpose — The Why

“…one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray…” Luke 11:1

The Purpose of Prayer
While prayer has many purposes, ultimately prayer is about God doing a work in us.

“Prayer is not a matter of changing things externally, but one of working miracles in a person’s inner nature.” Oswald Chambers

The Purpose of Fasting
“A spiritual fast is voluntarily going without food—or any other regularly enjoyed, good gift from God—for the sake of some spiritual purpose.” David Mathis

“Fasting is abstaining from anything that hinders prayer.” Andrew Bonar

The Choice to Fast
Fasting is a choice to take in less of one thing to make room for another. In this process, we make space, create margin, quiet the noise, clear the clutter. It’s an opportunity to slow down, to listen, to seek. While some fasts are intended for health benefits or medical purposes, this 21-day fast is meant for the health our souls. Whether our fasts involve food or something else we choose to give up, a biblical fast is deeply tied to prayer; one does not happen without the other. In choosing “less” of something in our physical lives, we experience “more” of Christ in our spiritual lives. There is reward in the sacrifice!

“Fasting and praying and giving allow us to experience more of Him. And He is everything. Our reward is the intimacy forged in prayerful conversation with the One who stitched us and knows us and sits enthroned within us and over us.” Wendy Speake

This post was first published on February 3, 2021. Brand-new content for our 21-Day series will begin on February 6, 2023.