Did God Forget to Show Up?

by Vittoria Allen | January 28, 2017

Our church-wide 21-day fast has come to an end. So, now what? 

Maybe you have experienced God in ways you never have before! Maybe you have had prayers answered. Maybe you are wondering if you did enough because God didn't answer the prayers you had? 

God does promise that through Jesus, our prayer and fasting will be rewarded, but what exactly does that mean? Should we expect the new car, new house, new job, a family member's salvation, or a sickness healed? 

We truly do need more of Him. Heaven knows we don't need more distractions!

Yes! Well, yes and no. The Father tells us that we should ask expectantly. When we pray, we should pray with faith that God wants to give us the desires of our heart. 1 John 5:14-15 says "And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him." But when we pray and fast, it's not so we can get our way. 

Prayer and fasting is an opportunity to bring us closer to God and align our hearts with his. Psalm 37:4 says, "Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart." But NOTICE! Taking delight in the Lord comes before the desires of your heart. And one of the beautiful things about prayer and fasting is often times the desires of our heart fade away in the presence of our Heavenly Father and THEN He has the opportunity to mold the desires of our hearts to match His desires FOR us. 

Prayer and fasting is a heart issue. It is not: "God I did this, now give me what I asked for". We fast to rid ourselves of our pride, selfishness, and the distractions that keep us from resting in His presence. We fast as a way to tell God, "I trust you and I need more of you". We truly do need more of Him. Heaven knows we don't need more distractions! In a world full of technology, media, and calendars full to the brim, we need more Jesus. We need more peace. We need more love and less hustle. 

If you have spent the last 21-days fasting and you feel like you have gone unseen and unheard by our Heavenly Father, remember this: 1 Corinthians 15:58 promises to us, "Be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord." When you earnestly seek God, your labor is not in vain. Wait patiently upon the Lord to reveal Himself and answer your prayers in His perfect timing. Above all, continue to seek Him and ask Him to transform your heart to be full of His joy and peace. 

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If you have more questions about how to proceed after this fast or where to find God in the midst of moving on, we have a Pastoral Support Team (PST) that would love to help you. You can email prayerrequests@sdrock.com and you can also call 619.226.ROCK (7625) to get connected to our PST. 

If you have a story about how God showed up for you during this fast, we'd love to hear about that too. You can share your story with us by visiting sdrock.com/mystory

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