THE POWER OF FASTING PRAYER!Speaker: Dr. Paul Dhinakaran Gist: Fasting and praying for our needs can bring mighty miracles from the Lord. Many years ago, the great Mahatma Gandhi found two young men in his ashram indulging in some misconducts. But he did not rebuke them. On the contrary, he said with a broken heart, “Unpleasant incidents have taken place in our ashram for which I am taking the responsibility on myself. So I am going on a fast. Through this, let those who were indulged in these wrong deeds be touched.” Hearing this, the young men were sad that the saintly man was afflicting himself with fasting for their wrong deeds and ran to him and fell prostrate at his feet and with a contrite heart said, “Sir, please do not make yourself miserable by fasting hereafter. We are sorry for what we had done and we repent.” What a joy for all of them!
The heart of Jesus also is like that! When we fast and plead at His feet, His heart also will be moved with compassion. God decided to destroy the city of Nineveh on account of their sins and wickedness. (Jonah 3: 4, 5, 10) But they cried, “The Lord is going to destroy us; let us cover ourselves with sack cloth and with fasting and with tears cry out mightily to God; He will surely relent His decision”. So they fasted and prayed. Then God saw their works that they turned from their evil ways and changed His mind. The disaster He has said that would fall on them and was averted (Jonah 3:10). Likewise, when Jesus Christ was here on this earth; the multitude listened to Him sitting at His feet for three days without eating anything and did not care for anything of their needs. At the end of the third day, without their requesting, the Lord Jesus said, “I have compassion on the multitude” and took the five loaves of bread and two fish, blessed them and multiplied and they all ate and were satisfied. (Matthew 15:32)
Dear friend, when you fast and humble yourself before the feet of God and plead, His heart will certainly be moved with compassion and He will wipe away all your tears and answer your prayers. He will exalt you.
PRAYER
Dear Lord Jesus,
When you were in this world, you fasted and prayed many times and thereby fulfilled the Will of your Father in a perfect manner. In the same way, help me to fast and pray and receive your abundant blessings and grace for all that I need to do for the betterment of my future. With thanksgiving, I humbly ask this prayer in your most Holy Name.
Amen.
|