Abstaining for a little While

Why is it I am always blown away by God’s timing of insightful wonders into my life? I mean we are talking about God here. Yet, I will pause with deep emotions at the handiwork in His day of work in my life and into my heart. I think the case is simply that I still wonder why the heck He would even have anything to do with me; after all I am not exactly perfect. Not perfect at all, so in coming into His wonders and glory He always allows my imperfections to be the spring board for my growth.

This last week is no different in how God comes along side in my striving to meet Him. Our church has this thing called SEVEN. Seven days of fasting and praying for the city of Portland. It’s pretty cool. There are early Morning Prayer meetings every single day at the church. Then there’s a lunch hour prayer meeting around different places in the city. I was able to make one of the noon hour prayer meetings this week and was truly blessed to sit in a city park among the tall buildings and lift up Portland in prayer. The fasting part was not something I could do. I prayed that if I were to fast God would remove the fatigue and headaches I typically get with long periods of not eating. If that were removed I would continue. I have five kids living under one roof and a husband who works hard all day. Everyone in this house needs to have the mama doing well with the routines of the day. So after four hours on Sunday I prayed that God would show me my part in participating this week. I prayed about and it and asked for a passage of scripture to claim and meditate on during this process.

I was in church Sunday evening and our pastor spoke on the meaning of a fast. And so I am not fasting this week I am abstaining. I am an abstainer. I was glad to have clarity to exactly what I was able to do. So in my quiet time in the Word I prayed for that one verse that would give me a greater understanding of my call this week.

Duet. 13:4
“It is the Lord your God you want to follow, and Him you must revere. Keep His commandments and obey Him, and serve Him and hold FAST to Him.”

Did you get that? “…hold FAST to Him.” That is the verse that I came upon in this week of SEVEN. So I shall be holding fast (nice sense of humor and play on words) to Him. Is this God’s timing of a week of fasting? I loved this passage so much that I journalled all morning over it’s meaning to my heart and how I could seek to know what I am to do with this verse. I asked myself what it is that gets in my way of serving and holding fast. What is it I could abstain from for a week? What would hinder that grasp? I thought of my mind, spirit and body. And my heart was heavy with these things. Face book, TV, and the need for chocolate every day and how these things affect my time. So in the way that I could I chose to let these things go for SEVEN days and spend that time praying over my husband, children, church leaders, government leaders and the city of Portland.

I was sitting with a young girl in my back yard today. She too is fasting for this week. I was impressed by the sharing of what God is doing in her life through this week. We are new friends so I was trying not to distract her sharing by my need to weep. Weep in way at seeing how God is changing the hope in this young girl’s heart. By some negative circumstances in her life, she was able to share how God is changing her heart to see these times as growth and a greater understanding in growing up just a little more in life and in Jesus. Watching Elliot fast and hearing him faced with an integrity issue. He shared the situation and when choosing whole heartedly to do what is right, God just turned it around and blessed him in the same situation. We chuckled and wondered if God had sent two radical angels to test his faith, and when he passed God sent the sweet little old lady angel to bless him.

There is a super natural power that walks this earth everyday. We get to choose our own path, and we get to choose what we believe. Its God gift to us…free choices. This week in my choosing to draw nearer to Him, to obey, serve, and hold fast I see over and over the blessings in and around me. I will always be blown away by how God meets me every single time when my heart is running towards His grasp and holding close to Him. What I do know is that God is real and in His awesome wonderful way He takes my imperfect life and brings me in a little closer still to His perfectness.

Thanks Lord Jesus that my life is worthy to know You more each day.