Searching for a Lead Pastor: A Day of Prayer and Fasting
FEBRUARY 23, 2022
After Jesus spoke to the Samaritan woman at the well, the disciples urged him to eat something and Jesus response was something that teaches us about fasting. He said “I have food to eat that you don’t know about” (John 4:32). The disciples thought someone else had brought him food and Jesus then said “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to complete his work” (verse 34).
Fasting is not a magical way to manipulate God into doing our will; it’s not a way to get God to be an accomplice to our plans. Fasting clears us in a way to open us to intentionally seek God’s will and grace that goes beyond normal habits of worship and prayer. We are one on one with God as we offer him the time and attentiveness we might otherwise use for eating, shopping, watching television or scrolling social media or news.
Fasting is a way of laying down an appetite. It is an act of self-denial, and through that we begin to recognize what controls us. Our small denials of self, whether it be for one meal or more, or two hours of TV or whatever, show us how little taste we might have for sacrifice or time with God.
Would you be willing to make a self-denying sacrifice for whatever item or time you feel the Lord asking you to do in order to pray for our search for a Lead Pastor for Temple ? We are picking February 23rd as the day when as a united body of believers we take some time to do this fast along with prayer. Just do it in the quiet and individual way God leads you that day.
Fasting and prayer reminds us of caring about “soul” things. We care about the church. We care about doing and being in the center of God’s will. We set aside a little comfort so we can listen and attend to the voice and nourishment of God alone. God can give us grace, comfort, nourishment of our souls and act on our behalf that we cannot do on our own.
We encourage you that day to also read and pray Psalm 103:1-5 – may it refresh your soul.
The Lead Pastor Search Committee
After Jesus spoke to the Samaritan woman at the well, the disciples urged him to eat something and Jesus response was something that teaches us about fasting. He said “I have food to eat that you don’t know about” (John 4:32). The disciples thought someone else had brought him food and Jesus then said “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to complete his work” (verse 34).
Fasting is not a magical way to manipulate God into doing our will; it’s not a way to get God to be an accomplice to our plans. Fasting clears us in a way to open us to intentionally seek God’s will and grace that goes beyond normal habits of worship and prayer. We are one on one with God as we offer him the time and attentiveness we might otherwise use for eating, shopping, watching television or scrolling social media or news.
Fasting is a way of laying down an appetite. It is an act of self-denial, and through that we begin to recognize what controls us. Our small denials of self, whether it be for one meal or more, or two hours of TV or whatever, show us how little taste we might have for sacrifice or time with God.
Would you be willing to make a self-denying sacrifice for whatever item or time you feel the Lord asking you to do in order to pray for our search for a Lead Pastor for Temple ? We are picking February 23rd as the day when as a united body of believers we take some time to do this fast along with prayer. Just do it in the quiet and individual way God leads you that day.
Fasting and prayer reminds us of caring about “soul” things. We care about the church. We care about doing and being in the center of God’s will. We set aside a little comfort so we can listen and attend to the voice and nourishment of God alone. God can give us grace, comfort, nourishment of our souls and act on our behalf that we cannot do on our own.
We encourage you that day to also read and pray Psalm 103:1-5 – may it refresh your soul.
The Lead Pastor Search Committee