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October 17, 2012
Dear Praying Friend & 40 Day Feaster,
I pray that each day you are enjoying a deeper and sweeter communion with the Lord, as well as experiencing His total refreshment, as He "fills you with the knowledge of His will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding" and are also "being strengthened with all power according to His glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father..." (Colossians 1:9b, 11). We have so much to be thankful for as privileged pilgrims walking out this amazing journey of faith with a loving Heavenly Father who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing (Ephesians 1:3). I personally can't help but keep coming back for more; year after year, day after day, as the Lord has invited me into a deeper, more intimate union with Him; a place which I only gained entrance to through a willingness to remain totally connected to Him as He walked me through seasons of deep personal pain and loss. Recently I was reflecting back on the many 40 day seasons of prayer and fasting the Lord called me to over the past six and a half years, and, more specifically, I was looking at the five 40 day prayer and fasting devotionals that were birthed out of those very special and deeply intimate times with the Lord. What I discovered was a common thread woven throughout the pages of each journey: the absolute necessity of total dependence upon the Lord by remaining steadfastly connected to Him as our source of Life. So many painful trials, impossible situations, and even extraordinary blessings couldn't compare to the countless daily encounters I experienced with the Lord as I soaked in His Presence and feasted on His Word. What else could possibly compare?!
"Remain in Me, and I will remain in you.
No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine.
Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in Me"
(John 15:4)
The words of our Lord Jesus Christ in the Book of John help us to understand the necessity of this vital connection. He is the Source of our Life. Apart from Him we can do nothing! There is no life in us unless His life is in us. We must nourish and feed His life within us. No one exemplified this truth more clearly than the Truth Himself, Jesus Christ, when He walked this earth. From the very onset of His ministry our Lord displayed His absolute dependence upon the Heavenly Father (Luke 4:1-2). Just as the Israelites were led in the desert for 40 years to learn total dependence upon the Lord, likewise, Jesus willingly submitted to His own desert experience for 40 days. "He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord" (Deuteronomy 8:3). When we willingly submit to a period of spiritual fasting we are putting ourselves in a position to be blessed and filled with the supernatural satisfaction that only comes through complete dependence upon the Father. Our Heavenly Father's intent is to prepare us for times of greater blessing (i.e. entering the Promise Land) and/or for further ministry (i.e. Jesus fulfilling the will of the Father as He ministered to the multitudes, led His disciples, and laid His life down on the cross). We must remain connected to our Source of Life to be able to walk steadfastly and firmly down the path He has prepared for us.
The key to this is total dependence upon the Word of God and a willingness to be still and listen. "Be still, and know that I am God" (Psalm 46:10). Jesus illustrated this with protracted periods of prayer where He "often withdrew to lonely places and prayed" (Luke 5:16). It was here that He met with the Father and found refreshment that revitalized Him for the work He was sent to do (John 4:34). We can learn from our Lord's example: "Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where He prayed" (Mark 1:35; see also: Luke 6:12; 9:18, 28-29; 11:1; 22:32, 41; 23:34, 46). In the presence of His Father He found peace and rest to sustain Him for each day. He invites us all to experience the blessing of the place of solitude: away from the noisy distractions and pressing demands of life; separated from difficult circumstances and impossible problems; centered solely in the beauty of His Presence. The Lord is looking for listeners. "To whom can I speak and give warning? Who will listen to me? Their ears are closed so they cannot hear. The word of the LORD is offensive to them; they find no pleasure in it" (Jeremiah 6:10). We have become adept in our times of prayer to fill the space with our every request and even complaints. We come looking for an answer to our situation, a solution to our problem, a blessing for our obedience, a miracle for our loved ones, or a change in our circumstances; but, how often do we come simply looking for time alone with our Lord? How often do we come with a desire to just bask in His Presence and a longing to delight in this most extraordinary communion with holy God? Jesus showed us the way with His life, and He provided the way with His death - may we not waste this most amazing gift. Let us take advantage of the time we have been given during these 40 days to experience this time of rest and refreshment as we separate ourselves from the noise of the world to spend time in peaceful solitude with the Lord, in His Word and in prayer. May we give the Lord our full undivided attention and listen intently to His still small voice as He prepares us to face a noisy, restless, and unstable world. Meditate on the Lord's prayer for you in John 17 as you spend your quiet time with Him today. "He who has ears, let him hear" (Matthew 11:15).
Heavenly Father,
"One thing I ask of the LORD,
this is what I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD
and to seek Him in His temple." (Psalm 27:4)
There is no place I would rather be then
in Your Presence, Lord. Teach me, while I am here,
to be still and listen to You.
"They are not just idle words for you -
they are your life." (Deuteronomy 32:47)
You are my life. Fill me with more of You.
Keep my heart tender to Your voice
as You nourish me with Your Word.
Give me ears to hear and a heart willing
to respond. And when I speak,
may the words of my mouth not be as empty
words that suit itching ears,
rather let them be filled with Your words of Truth
to catch the attention of listening ears
and feed their hungry souls.
"May the words of my mouth and
the meditation of my heart
be pleasing in Your sight,
O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer."
(Psalm 19:14)
To You I give all glory, honor and praise.
Thank you for the privilege of spending this
quiet time with You.
In Jesus' Name. Amen. | 
