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The most recent articles, videos, blog entries, and more that have been added to ChristianUnion.org.

A Prayer and Fasting Devotional

Mention the word idol to someone and they are likely to think of the shrines of old or temples in far countries that still house representations of gods to be worshiped. Yet in our own culture the propensity for idols is no less prevalent, though perhaps far more nuanced.

In his book Desiring the Kingdom, Jamie Smith overlays seemingly arcane language of the shrine on a typical American pastime with striking ease. He describes a "site throbbing with pilgrims every day of the week" entered through "one of several grandiose entrees...[that] channels the ritual observance of the pilgrims." As the faithful "wander the labyrinth in contemplation," iconography consistent with other temples draws pilgrims into "chapels devoted to various saints." Here we are greeted by "acolytes" who guide us through the selection of "holy objects" and eventually to an altar where a priest "presides over the consummating transaction." As you've probably guessed by now, the experience of shopping at our local mall described in this way "unveil[s] the character of what presents itself as benign" (pp. 19-23).

Our forefather Abraham required a reorientation

A Prayer and Fasting Devotional

"They tested God in their heart by demanding the food they craved. They spoke against God, saying, 'Can God spread a table in the wilderness? He struck the rock so that water gushed out and streams overflowed. Can he also give bread or provide meat for His people?'" Psalm 78:18-20

We are a wilderness people. If the story of Israel is any indication, we, the new Israel, can be assured that, following on the heels of God's salvific action, we become campers. Wilderness dwellers. In the pages of Scripture, the wilderness is not only a thick, mossy forest with towering trees or a sandy desert with oppressively hot days followed by frigid, windy nights. It is also a controlling metaphor for a barren, in-between place of trial. Thankfully, the wilderness is also an ideal setting for God's presence and provision

A Prayer and Fasting Devotional

Our world exists in tension. The public square and our personal experience testify to this every day, reminding us that the world is at once the product of a benevolent, creator God AND the consequence of His rebellious creatures. One of the ways that we feel this tension is that we receive the world as a composite of hungers, thirsts, and desires, each of which can draw us to, or away from, the living God. For this reason, whenever the people of God mobilize in prayer and fasting, we do nothing less than invite God to do Gospel work by bringing about the death and resurrection of hunger, both in and around us.

Scripture gives us a window into this reality through Jesus' own teaching regarding hunger. In John's Gospel, he promises that "whoever comes to me shall not hunger" (John 6:35). However, in Matthew's Gospel, he promises satisfaction to "those who hunger and thirst" (Matthew 5:6). Herein lies another tension. Jesus commends both the absence and presence of hunger. But, how do we resolve this?

A Prayer and Fasting Devotional

Perhaps you've heard the following statement spoken by a Christian leader at some point in your Christian journey. I certainly have heard it many times through the years, yet sadly it belies a misunderstanding of God and our relationship with Him. Having a fuller understanding of the dynamics of our relationship with God yields enormous spiritual benefits. The statement you have probably heard many times:

"There is nothing you can do to make God more pleased with you than He already is with you right now."

On the surface, there is an attractive quality to this statement because it affirms so strongly the love of God, as well as the pleasure He has over Christians because of Jesus' sacrificial death. Yet, a more careful examination of the statement reveals its incompleteness. Take a look at

A Prayer and Fasting Devotional

If you are anything like me, you often pray for strength. You know that you need God's power in your life. Whether facing an ordinary task or a particularly heavy burden, you probably ask God quite often for the strength to accomplish the things He has called you to do. And we can ask God for strength because He is the source of all strength and power, and He promises to give strength to His people. Psalm 10:17 reads, "O Lord, you hear the desire of the afflicted; you will strengthen their heart..." and Psalm 29:1 and 11: "Ascribe to the Lord, O heavenly beings, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength ... May the Lord give strength to His people!"

Now as a Christian, the source of your strength is God - and all that God promises to be for you through Jesus Christ and the Gospel. We continually

A Prayer and Fasting Devotional

Cambridge theologian William Inge (1860–1954) famously quipped, "all of nature is a conjugation of the verb to eat, in the active and passive." Inge's characterization of eating as an overarching touchstone suffuses narratives of family, tradition, and place with remembrances of love, loss, and celebration. Potlucks and campfire s'mores, wedding and birthday cakes, funeral and Eucharist suppers frame the ever-changing seasons of life.

Similarly, Norman Wirzba's Food & Faith: A Theology of Eating highlights the proper balance of feasting and fasting: "People should feast so they do not forget the grace and blessing of the world. People should fast so they do not degrade or hoard the good gifts of God. In short, we feast to glorify God and we fast so we do not glorify ourselves" (p. 137).

This intentional juxtaposition of feasting and fasting surfaces

A Prayer and Fasting Devotional

"I humbled my soul with fasting."
-King David (Psalm 69:10)

As King David implied, fasting is a time for us to humble ourselves before the Lord, whereby we can set aside all confidence that we have in our flesh and rightly confess to Him – and to ourselves – the severity of our spiritual depravity.

Upon entering this fast, we prepared for the sins hidden within us – jealousy, bitterness, anxiety, fear, and the like – to enter the forefront of our minds and hearts. As we discussed, God uses fasting to show us

A Prayer and Fasting Devotional

There are a number of times in the gospels that Jesus talks about food, but often it is in ways that you might not expect. Consider three examples:

In John 6, we find a conversation Jesus had with a crowd that was following him after he multiplied fish and bread. He said to them:

"For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world."
"Sir," they said, "from now on give us this bread."
Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me will never go hungry, and he who believes in Me will never be thirsty."
- John 6:33-35

According to Jesus, the Son of God

A Prayer and Fasting Devotional

Something about fasting causes humility to mark our walks with God and our experience before Him. We rediscover that we are created ones, subject to a Creator, and we are sinful beings prone to complain. Though we may posture and protest, our need for sustenance and grace is inescapable when we fast. Our physical needs make manifest our utter dependence in every way on the only One who satisfies our every need. This precious truth should compel us to turn to our faithful God and submit ourselves to His call to walk in holiness.

One of the most beautiful examples of humility and God’s steadfast love is the story of the prophet Hosea.

A Prayer and Fasting Devotional

"Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful." – Colossians 4:2 (NIV)

"Prayer is the easiest and hardest of all things; the simplest and the sublimest; the weakest and the most powerful; its results lie outside the range of human possibilities—they are limited only by the omnipotence of God." – E. M. Bounds

Frequent and fervent prayer is an essential part of our relationship with God. It is the natural product of genuine faith in God and His promise that He will hear and answer us. Though the practice of prayer is simple enough for a child to perform, prayer is also a complex discipline in which every Christian continues to grow and develop throughout life. Just as Jesus' disciples, we all continue to cry out "Lord, teach us to pray." It is a prayer that God loves to answer