Monday, January 22, 2007

...For this week


Today was when ministry was officially scheduled to start. We had a team meeting in the middle of last week and Steve Shoop, our director, told us that he felt God was asking to set aside this week for prayer and fasting. (One of my teammates had actually written the word "fast" on his hand earlier in the day, before Steve mentioned it to anyone.)
We were all encouraged to ask God what He would have us fast from this week. As soon as I heard about the fast, I knew God wanted me to give up makeup...obviously this is not something I would come up with on my own, so I knew I needed to pay attention. My church also announced prayer and fasting until Wednesday, and this was completely unrelated to Engage. So, I will be fasting two meals until Wednesday, and makeup for the rest of the week. We all agreed to fast from TV, playing cards, and secular music on top of our personal commitments. The focus of our prayer is:
  1. Another facility that will allow for expansion in the program. (There are currently 15 students. At our present location, there is only room for two more interns...and only if those two are guys.)
  2. Effectiveness in ministry for the upcoming semester.
  3. Good health and safety for the team.
A teammate mentioned something that I had overlooked the other times I had fasted. (The same teammate who wrote "fast" on his hand.) When a person is fasting, they should replace the time they usually dedicate to the other activity and dedicate it to prayer. This seems like an elementary principle, but espcially in the case of food, I would replace my eating time with thinking about how I really wanted to eat.
I have been feeling a sense of urgency in drawing near to God. It has been confirmed by the theme God has been using in speaking to many peoples lives. I am very excited about this week, and I hope you will remember us in your prayers.

posted by jessika @ 3:02 PM Comments: 1