Church Fast

Morning:

Father, as I come to You to start my day, I join my brothers and sisters in this fast to open our hands and our hearts to receive anything You want us to receive. I pray You would make us indifferent to anything other than Your will. Please give us Your heart and Your eyes as we go into a new year. Guide us and teach us as we walk the way of Jesus, together, in Your spiritual family. 

As Paul prayed in Ephesians 1, I pray that the eyes of our heart will be enlightened in order that we may know the hope to which You have called us, the riches of Your glorious inheritance in Your holy people, and Your incomparably great power for us who believe. 

Expose any areas in my own heart and in our community where we are not aligned with Your Spirit. Lead us in Your everlasting way and show me where I can play my part. Thank You for all the spiritual blessings You have given us in Christ. Help me take each one with me into the coming day. 

Amen.

Afternoon:

Father, we come before You now in the middle of our day to remember that we live in a different age and a different Kingdom, where Your son has authority over all things. However, we know we still live in a world that is enslaved by the powers of darkness and we cry out to You to now to bring Your light. As we fast and pray today, let our hunger pains remind us of the pains You feel for the brokenness in this world.

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(This next section can be optional for those who want to pray longer. Adapted from Ruth Haley Barton’s Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership)

Loving God, I hold in your healing presence those who suffer pain and ill health both in body and mind (silence to allow the names and faces of those you know to come to mind, and then pray) ... May they know the deep peace of Christ.

Loving God, I hold in your healing presence the suffering people of our world, and the places where people are experiencing hurt, division, corruption, and violence... May we know the deep peace of Christ.

Loving God, I hold in your healing presence those experiencing grief and loss... May they know the deep peace of Christ.

Loving God, I hold in your healing presence those people and situations that seem broken beyond repair ... May they know the deep peace of Christ.

Loving God, I hold in your healing presence and peace those I interact with today whose needs are not known to me but who are known by you … May they know the deep peace of Christ.

Glory to you, God, from whom all love flows, glory to Jesus, who showed his love through suffering, and glory to the Holy Spirit, who brings light to the darkest places.

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Please fulfill your promise to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.

Amen.

Evening:

Father, as the day comes to a close, reveal to me the ways I felt Your Spirit’s presence most today…(silence to listen).

I thank You for another day and all the blessings You have given me through Jesus.

Reveal to me the ways in which I was not aligned with Your Spirit. I ask for Your forgiveness. 

As we close out another day, we pray You would grow the seeds we planted today. Use our efforts today and guide us in our efforts tomorrow to partner with Your Spirit helping all people grow into fully devoted followers of Jesus. 

Like Paul prayed in Ephesians 3, we pray that out of Your glorious riches You may strengthen us with power through Your Spirit in our inner being, so that Christ may dwell in our hearts through faith. And I pray that we, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that we may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

Now to You who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to Your power that is at work within us, to You be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! 

Amen.