At the moment I don't have the time to look up the mandates, but I hope to look at that later.
In the past we have fasted when: times of great mourning times of great need seeking God's will and needing to be focused...
examples: mourning: friend's very tragic death great need: life and death in the balanc Seeking God's will: when our former church was going through its horrible time and we needed to know God's direction because man's direction seemed wrong or unsure
I know there was scripture behind each of these, but don't have it to hand now. will look back for it later.
In times of seeking God's direction and His words for us:
9 When I went up on the mountain to receive the tablets of stone, the tablets of the covenant that the LORD had made with you, I stayed on the mountain forty days and forty nights; I ate no bread and drank no water. Deut.9:9
repenting of great sin:
18 Then once again I fell prostrate before the LORD for forty days and forty nights; I ate no bread and drank no water, because of all the sin you had committed, doing what was evil in the LORD's sight and so provoking him to anger. Deut. 9:18
Grief: 13 Then they took their bones and buried them under a tamarisk tree at Jabesh, and they fasted seven days. 1 Samuel 31:13
12 all their valiant men went and took the bodies of Saul and his sons and brought them to Jabesh. Then they buried their bones under the great tree in Jabesh, and they fasted seven days. 1 Chron. 10:12
12 They mourned and wept and fasted till evening for Saul and his son Jonathan, and for the army of the LORD and the house of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword. 2 Samuel 1:12
Confession of Sin: 6 When they had assembled at Mizpah, they drew water and poured it out before the LORD. On that day they fasted and there they confessed, "We have sinned against the LORD." And Samuel was leader [a] of Israel at Mizpah. 1 Samuel 7:6
Petition: 3 So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes. Daniel 9:3
There are more, but these are a sampling.
Always done with prayer it appears. Not for personal gain, but for times of great need: personal and corporate, deep grief, confession of sin, afflictions.
Man shall not live by bread alone... that is what comes to my mind. If I turn my mind from the earthly bread I can be more focused on "the bread of life."
3 comments:
At the moment I don't have the time to look up the mandates, but I hope to look at that later.
In the past we have fasted when:
times of great mourning
times of great need
seeking God's will and needing to be focused...
examples:
mourning: friend's very tragic death
great need: life and death in the balanc
Seeking God's will: when our former church was going through its horrible time and we needed to know God's direction because man's direction seemed wrong or unsure
I know there was scripture behind each of these, but don't have it to hand now. will look back for it later.
Kim,
Thank you. I would appreciate your thoughtful input.
Rachel
In times of seeking God's direction and His words for us:
9 When I went up on the mountain to receive the tablets of stone, the tablets of the covenant that the LORD had made with you, I stayed on the mountain forty days and forty nights; I ate no bread and drank no water. Deut.9:9
repenting of great sin:
18 Then once again I fell prostrate before the LORD for forty days and forty nights; I ate no bread and drank no water, because of all the sin you had committed, doing what was evil in the LORD's sight and so provoking him to anger.
Deut. 9:18
Grief:
13 Then they took their bones and buried them under a tamarisk tree at Jabesh, and they fasted seven days. 1 Samuel 31:13
12 all their valiant men went and took the bodies of Saul and his sons and brought them to Jabesh. Then they buried their bones under the great tree in Jabesh, and they fasted seven days. 1 Chron. 10:12
12 They mourned and wept and fasted till evening for Saul and his son Jonathan, and for the army of the LORD and the house of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword. 2 Samuel 1:12
Confession of Sin:
6 When they had assembled at Mizpah, they drew water and poured it out before the LORD. On that day they fasted and there they confessed, "We have sinned against the LORD." And Samuel was leader [a] of Israel at Mizpah.
1 Samuel 7:6
Petition:
3 So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes.
Daniel 9:3
There are more, but these are a sampling.
Always done with prayer it appears. Not for personal gain, but for times of great need: personal and corporate, deep grief, confession of sin, afflictions.
Man shall not live by bread alone... that is what comes to my mind. If I turn my mind from the earthly bread I can be more focused on "the bread of life."
Love, Kim
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