CU Day and Night Hosts Nationwide Event
By Dr. Chuck Hetzler
“I really do not remember how I came to find Christian Union, ‘It just happened.’”
Even though Kimberly Brown cannot recall how she discovered Christian Union, she is very clear about the life-changing impact CU Day and Night has had on her.
Brown, a school teacher in the Midwest, explains, “In January 2019 Christian Union Founder and CEO Matt Bennett called for people to do a ten-day Fast. I prayed about it and felt led to participate. That fast changed my faith walk.”
Christian Union has a long history of incorporating extended fasts in its ministry. If Moses, Nehemiah, Esther, Ezra, Daniel, the apostles, and the Lord Jesus Himself (to name a few biblical examples) needed to fast and pray for their own spiritual strength and success, how much more do American Christians today need to fast? Since Christian Union Day and Night began in 2016, the ministry has sponsored two fasts per year, one at the beginning of the calendar year and another at the beginning of the academic year.
CU Day and Night not only mobilizes American Christians to fast and pray, but the ministry also equips Christians with resources regarding the essential role of fasting in a disciple’s life. Part of the reason why so many Christian in the US don’t fast today is because they don’t realize the biblical reasons to do so.
During the January 2019 fast, Kimberly said, “I read every article and info your site posted on fasting and prayer.” Those articles, like Modern Resources on Fasting, opened her eyes to the importance and power of prayer and fasting. After examining the need for and benefits of fasting, she was hungry to seek God even more through fasting and prayer, so she participated in the next CU Day and Night fast. Then God began speaking to her about fasting the first five days of every month and also holding forty days of fasting and prayer, especially in the summer months when school is not in session.
Kimberly’s life has been transformed through her participation in CU Day and Night’s fasts. God is speaking to her more and leading her in ways that she has never before experienced.
Christian Union Day and Night’s next fast is Monday, August 16 – Sunday, August 29, 2021. All American Christians are encouraged to sign-up at http://www.cudayandnight.org/fast.
All signed-up participants will receive an email devotional each day of the two-week fast. The devotionals, written by CU faculty, will center on the theme of repentance, primarily for us as Christians. The theme verse of the August 2021 fast is Zechariah 1:3, "Thus declares the LORD of hosts: 'Return to me,' says the LORD of hosts, 'and I will return to you...'"
Everyone who joins the fast will abstain from food as he/she determines; there is no single way to participate in the fourteen-day fast. The common way to fast in New Testament times was to not eat until after 3 p.m., which was the time of the evening sacrifice and prayer time. Therefore, one way of fasting is to eat just one meal per day, usually dinner. Some people may choose to drink only liquids during the fast, and refrain from eating altogether. Others who have never fasted before may only fast certain days within the fourteen days. Those with prohibitive medical conditions may choose to take part in other ways of prayer and consecration. Oftentimes churches and families undertake the fast as a group.
Most importantly, the time of fasting is focused on drawing near to God. The United States continues its drift away from the God of the Bible. Christian denominations are sinking, more and more Americans claim no religious affiliation whatsoever, and the broader culture increasingly adopts godless ways of living. How bad do things need to get before American Christians en masse turn to the Lord with urgency? Fasting is the number one way to humble oneself before God, as humility and fasting are tightly correlated in Scripture. And increased prayer during the days of fasting amplifies the benefit of the fast. Prolonged periods of fasting and prayer are essential for all believers, especially for American Christians today.
Fasting and prayer are incredibly important and powerful before God. CU Day and Night places fasting and prayer in the larger context of a seeking-God lifestyle, comprising two of the seven principles of what it means to consistently draw near to God. More can be learned at CUDayandNight.org’s most popular page, The Seven Principles of a Seeking-God Lifestyle.
Dr. Chuck Hetzler is the executive director of Christian Union Day and Night, a ministry that promotes spiritual strengthening in Christians across America, helping them thrive in order to make an impact in an increasingly secular culture by covenanting together for successive spiritual initiatives.
To learn more about Christian Union, please click here.
