90 Days

There are 90 days from Sunday 27 September 2020 to Christmas Day!   Many people are already talking, thinking, and planning for this annual celebration of Christ's birth, his advent into our world.  Much of the focus in the months ahead will be on decorating, travel, family get-togethers, and shopping.   In the midst of the pandemic there is still a lot of uncertainty about what can and cannot be done.   But here is something that might bring some certainty in the midst of all that we are going through, and make the celebration at Christmas that more significant this year.   What if we commit the next 90 days to a concert of prayer and fasting?

I know of at least one church that is doing this: Menlo Church (https://menlo.church).   They recognise that 2020 has been a extra-ordinary year for them.   And it is no different here in Australia.   Yes there has been the devastating impact of the COVID pandemic.  Tens of thousands have been infected by the virus and hundreds of people have died.   Close to a million people worldwide have died from this disease.   Add to the health concerns, whole communities and states have been locked down.   One million people in one month lost their jobs due to the Coronavirus.  The national debt will create a economic burden for several generations to come.   In addition to the pandemic, Australia faced devastating bushfires followed by severe flooding.   Racial tensions are high and many communities are on edge.  Yes, these are extra-ordinary days.   Might this also be a time for an extra-ordinary response by Christians and churches.   What if we commit these days leading up to Christmas to a concert of prayer and fasting?  90 days!

In the days of the prophet Joel (@ 800 BC) God's people experienced something like they had never seen in their lifetime. (see Joel 1:2-3)   A locust plague hit their land resulting in farmer's fields being ruined, their grain destroyed, the wine and olive oil harvests did not happen, and all the fruit trees were barren.   The local grocery shelves were empty.  (Joel 1:17)   The people's joy had withered away. (Joel 1:12)  This was going to be something that they would talk about for generations. (Joel 1:3)   All of this is really not much different than what our world has gone through this year: 2020.   We might have ample food in the local IGA or Woolies, but we are experiencing something this year that we have never seen in our lifetime.  Joy is hard to find for so many.   And this will be talked about for generations to come. 

What was Joel's advice to the people of his day?   He said, "Declare a holy fast; call a sacred assembly.  Summon the elders and all who live in the land to the house of the Lord your God, and cry out to the Lord."  (Joel 1:14)   Their current calamity called for an extra-ordinary response by every person.   They were called to a time of fasting and praying.   Prayer and fasting are not ways to manipulate God to do something for us.   Prayer and fasting are an invitation found in the Bible to draw near to God.   In the Bible we see people fasting as they confess their sins and call out to God for help.   We see Jesus going without food for 40 days as he faced temptation by the devil and prepared for his public ministry (Luke 4:1-2).  The early church prayed and fasted before they sent out missionaries and appointed elders (Acts 13:2; 14:23).  Prayer is often accompanied by fasting, as Dallas Willard points out: “Fasting confirms our utter dependence upon God by finding in Him a source of sustenance beyond food."  Could not our appropriate response in these days be to declare a holy fast and call our people to prayer?   Yes, summon the elders and everybody else to cry out to Lord, to declare our utter dependence upon God.  In the lead up to Christmas, to mark these 90 days with God's people fasting and praying.

As churches we maintain that prayer is our number one task.   We say this includes encouraging churches and Classes to have special prayer days or nights to promote prayerful dependence upon God.   Could these 90 days not be a time to have these special prayer days or nights?   This does not mean that everybody needs to fast and pray for the entire lead up to Christmas.   I know that Jesus went without food as he fasted for 40 days.   But what if we call God's people to set aside an entire day to fast pray.   One day a week.  Or one day a month.   Or one day in the next 90 days.   At Menlo church they have created an online sign-up sheet so that they have a certain number of people each day over the next 90 days committed to a day of fasting and praying.   The goal is to have people fasting and praying each of the 90 days.  Personally I have signed up to fast and pray on one of those days.   You could do something similar in your church.   It can be as simple as putting out a sign up sheet and asking people to commit to one day of fasting and praying.   You might decide to do this for 30 days, or 60 days.    Why not 90 days?   Our days call for an extra-ordinary response by God's people.   To help you understand or to help you explain to your congregation the why and how to fasting and praying I urge you to consider this guide Menlo Church has put out:   A Guide to Fasting and Praying.   

Summon the elders.   Declare a fast.  Cry out to the Lord.   Make prayer and our dependence upon God our number one focus these next 90 days!