Prayer and fasting are often observed as ways to draw nearer to the Lord and to more fully devote ourselves to him as a way to focus on specific prayer needs for a community. Through fasting, we willingly give up something we would use for strength, comfort, or enjoyment as a way to recenter our hearts and wills on our greatest need—to seek the Lord’s face, his favor, and to discern his will. Through prayer, we earnestly draw near to him and ask him to help us in our need—trusting that he is a good, covenant-keeping God who loves us and is working all things together for the ultimate blessing of those who are his through Christ Jesus.

Participating in this day of prayer and fasting is optional, but we believe that it is something that not only pleases the Lord but helps to draw us together as a church family. Below, you will find some suggestions for ways you might participate if the Lord leads you.

Fasting

When we speak of fasting, we most frequently think of abstaining from food for a period of time. Yours could be a whole-day or a partial-day fast, depending on your own needs and schedule. The reason for fasting is to deny ourselves something that would otherwise be good so that we can spend that time and energy in prayer and discernment. When the time for a meal comes around, one way to enter into a fast is to not only abstain from food but to devote that time to prayer instead.

But fasting is not necessarily limited to meals. Perhaps you snack during the day. Abstaining from those pleasures is another way to devote some of your time to the Lord in prayer.

Fasting likewise is not limited to just food. You can fast from anything you turn to for comfort or entertainment—such as watching media, going to the gym, taking a nap, chewing gum, drinking coffee, drinking alcohol, smoking, or spending money on yourself. When you deny yourself any of these momentary pleasures for the purposes of a fast, you are saying: “Lord, you are my ultimate delight and pleasure. I submit this time to you. Help me to draw near to you and find you to be everything I need.”

Here are a few things to keep in mind while you fast:

1. First of all, do not fast from food if there are medical reasons why that would be unwise.
2. Drink plenty of water and other liquids to keep yourself hydrated.
3. Make certain you take all of the medicines that you typically would. If you need food in order to take your medicines, then by all means have something to eat. Fasting is not about observing the letter of the law so much as it is the act of freely giving something up for a greater purpose.
4. Whenever you feel hunger or when you instinctively look to something for comfort, distraction, or entertainment, use that as a prompt to pray.

Prayer

Of course, we encourage you to pray whether or not you fast. When people pray during a fast, they usually stop to pray both when they would normally eat and when they are aware they are feeling hungry. But if you are fasting from something other than food, you can stop to pray when you are aware that you are being drawn toward something for entertainment or distraction. Any emotional or physical discomfort can be a prompt to pray.

What do you pray for? We encourage you to pray however you feel the Spirit is leading you. If you are unsure how to pray, perhaps the best way to start would be to ask the Lord to show you what you should be focusing on.

In general, during this Day of Prayer and Fasting, we are asking you to pray that God would be glorified in and through all of the aspects of Tenth Church, including:

• The Session
• The Diaconate
• The Pastoral Staff
• The Office Staff
• Our various ministries and their leaders
• Our small groups
• Our witness to the city

However, you know that there are specific issues faced by Tenth and her members right now. So, in particular, we ask you to pray for:

• Wisdom and discernment for our pastors and elders to lead wisely (feel free to pray for them by name)
• Pray that the Lord would protect Tenth and her people from the enemy’s attempts to divide us
• Pray that the Lord would provide for our financial needs, as giving is down significantly
• That the Lord would cause us to answer our enemies and critics by speaking the truth in love
• That the Lord would grow a passion for discipleship and one-anothering in the church
• That Tenth would be known as a community that cares for its people and loves the city
• That the Lord would grant grace to those involved in the public scandals of the last five months to know him as good, gracious, merciful, and loving toward them—but also that repentance and healing would occur where it is needed
• That through these difficult times, the people of Tenth would know how to build one another up and encourage each other.

Feel free to pray whenever, wherever, and however you feel the Lord calling you. But keep in mind we are also inviting anyone who is able to join us for an hour of public prayer at the church on Wednesday, April 10 from 7-8 pm in Fellowship Hall. If you are part of a small group that meets on Wednesday nights, we encourage you to still attend your small group—and that small groups would devote themselves to a full evening of prayer together instead of following their usual plans for the evening