WEEK OF FASTING AND
Praying
WEEK OF FASTING & Praying
Since the foundation of the church, followers of Jesus have gathered together to praise the Lord, confess their need for the Lord, and ask him to move with power in their midst. And for centuries, the church has witnessed and experienced God respond to the praises and petitions of his people. Our week of fasting and prayer is an opportunity to join with us, and centuries of Christians, as we call upon the name of the Lord. Throughout this week, we will gather on Zoom for prayer at 7:30 pm Monday, April 1 – Thursday, April 4. And we’ll cap off the week by gathering in person for our monthly time of corporate prayer at 7:30 pm on Friday, April 5.
If you’d like to join with us, please email info@redeemerdc.org to get information on the Zoom link. And, here are some guidelines for daily fasting and an outline of our nightly themes for prayer…
PURPOSE OF FASTING
The purpose of a fast is to abstain from something good in order to spend time in prayer, confessing a greater need for Jesus. Whenever you feel the desire for whatever you are giving up, allow that to be a reminder to turn to Jesus in prayer and worship.
OPTIONS FOR FASTING
01
Fast from all foods, except for liquids, all day, every day, for the entire week.
02
Fast from all foods, except for liquids, from sun up to sun down each day of the week.
03
Fast from one meal per day each day of the week.
04
Do something like the Daniel Fast, which is basically a vegan diet, for the entire week. If you’d like to read more on the Daniel fast click here.
05
Choose something you eat or do on a regular basis (a particular food, watching television, going on social media, etc.) and abstain from that item for the entire week.
PRAYER THEMES
THE GLORY OF GOD
Monday
REPENTANCE & GRACE
Tuesday
Sanctification in Word & Gospel
Wednesday
OUR Love for one another
Thursday
Hospitality & Love for others
Friday
VERSES OF THE DAY
Monday - The Glory of God - Colossians 1:15-23
- Colossians 1:15-20 – Revere the Lord simply for who he is. Declare who is. Worship him for who he is!
- Colossians 1:21-22 – Respond in thanksgiving for what he has done through the blood of his cross.
- Colossians 1:23 – Request that the Lord would keep us and sustain us in the hope of the gospel.
Tuesday - Repentance & Grace - Romans 1:19-23 & Romans 3:21-26
- Romans 1:19-20 – Revere the Lord for his eternal creative power and divine nature.
- Romans 1:21-23 – Respond with confession over our brokenness, waywardness, unfaithfulness, sinfulness.
- Romans 3:21-26 – Respond in thanksgiving for God’s righteousness, justice, and graciousness toward us in Christ Jesus!
Wednesday - Sanctification in Word & Gospel - 2 Peter 1:3-9
- 2 Peter 1:3-4 – Revere the Lord that by his divine power he has made us new and made us partakers of the divine nature.
- 2 Peter 1:5-8 – Respond in confession that we need his divine power to sanctify us by the power of the gospel.
- 2 Peter 1:9 – Request that the Lord would help us continue to grasp the realities of the gospel more and more in order that we might be transformed.
Thursday - Love for One Another - 1 John 4:9-14
- 1 John 4:9-10 – Revere and praise God for his love for us in sending Jesus the Son.
- 1 John 4:11-12 – Respond and ask that we would love one another that the Lord has loved us.
- 1 John 4:13-14 – Request that the world around us would see our love for one another and know that the Father has sent the Son to be the Savior of the world.
Friday - Hospitality & Love for Others - Acts 17:24-27
- Acts 17:24-25 – Revere God as the one who made the world and everything in it.
- Acts 17:26-27 – Respond in thanks to God for his sovereignty in bringing guests on Easter and request that he would continue to draw them to himself.
- Acts 17:26-27 – Request and pray on behalf of specific people we are ministering to, that they might seek the Lord and find him.
