Fasting and Praying

*warning - this post is of a very religious nature and expresses the opinions of the writer. Don't feel like you have to keep reading, please.

I've been pondering the concept of fasting and praying lately - yeah, I have a specific situation in mind. Why do it at all? Aside from Yom Kippur, when Torah followers join in a corporate fast, are there other times when it's called for? Well, I decided to check it out for myself. Here are a few pertinent Scriptures that mention it:

"When I heard these words, I sat down and wept and mourned for days; and I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven." Nehemiah 1:4

Here, a leader of the Hebrews was overcome with grief over the destruction of Jerusalem and the few Jews left in the Land during one of the captivities. He was so distraught he fasted and prayed.

"So I gave my attention to the Lord God to seek Him by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth and ashes" Daniel 9:3

Here the prophet, Daniel, was led to fast and pray a prayer of repentance for the sins of Israel and to restore the people to the Land after years of captivity.

"Yet even now," declares the LORD," Return to Me with all your heart, and with fasting, weeping and mourning." Joel 2:12

Here, the LORD is calling His people to fast in repentance and return to Him.

"Whenever you fast, do not put on a gloomy face as the hypocrites do, for they neglect their appearance so that they will be noticed by men when they are fasting Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full." Matt. 6:16

Here, Yeshua tells His followers how to fast - without making a show of it. Apparently, it was something commonly done.

"But this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting." Matt. 17:21

And, here, Yeshua is talking about a specific kind of demon some of His disciples were trying, unsuccessfully, to cast out of someone.

"She never left the temple, serving night and day with fastings and prayers." Luke 2:37

'She' is an old prophetess that spent her life in the Temple area praying and fasting - she had dedicated her life to it. Wow - that amazes me!

"While they were ministering to the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, 'Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.'" Acts 13:2

This time, it's for specific purpose, though it sounds to me like this group of believers was in the habit of fasting and praying, whether regularly or just when the Spirit led, I'm not sure. Side note - They heard the Holy Spirit!

"When they had appointed elders for them in every church, having prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord in whom they had believed." Acts 14:23

Then, this last one is specifically focused on making sure they had appointed the elders that G-d wanted in those positions.

I also came across several passages where the main focus was the person fasting in repentance of their own or the nation's sins. So, in my simple way of looking at things, most often, fasting is done by those who have sinned and are repentant - whether the LORD calls the nation as a whole to do it or just individuals do it for their own sin.

Then, the lesser category is what I focused on with the passages I chose - when a serious situation calls for drastic measures in hopes that G-d will answer our cry to intervene. Sometimes, He is gracious and answers our prayers, while other times, He tells us to stop fasting and move on. I do know that my fasting and praying will not change what the L-rd ordains.

I'll continue to meditate on this as I face some tough community issues... if we could only focus on loving each other.

"But now you also, put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth." Col. 3:8

"Therefore, putting aside all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander..."

1 Pet. 2:1