Fasting the World Out of the Church

# 294 – We are continuing a series on fasting. As we have seen, this spiritual discipline is not just for Old Testament believers, yet we can learn much about fasting from their example. In the next couple of days, I want to spend some more time looking at the fast of Nehemiah. You can read about it in Nehemiah 1 and 2. Nehemiah was greatly bothered by the broken down walls and gates of Jerusalem (the church) He didn’t have to be bothered by that news. His faith was intact, he had a good job in the kings court many miles away. Why not just live his life as is. It’s not his concern! But it is! He rightly saw the church as his concern, and guess what? The Body of Christ is your concern, it is my concern!  There is a breach in the wall, the gates are down. The world has broken into the church! What will you do about it? Will you pass on lunch and pray?   His first step in fixing the problem was to go before the God of heaven. The God of the dispensary of grace and all things needful, and he prayed and fasted before Him.   Listen to his prayer as found in Neh 1:5-11: “And I said, O Lord God of heaven, the great and awesome God (everything in that opening line acknowledges that God is bigger than the problem!)  “who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love Him and keep His commandments,  (next, Nehemiah let’s God know that he is very much aware of God's faithfulness to His Word. He is also aware of the responsibilities of God’s people. They are to love God and keep (treasure) His commandments.   Let (allow) Your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer of your servant that I now pray before you day and night. The mention of the ears and eyes of God link prayer and fasting. God hears the prayer, but He also sees the prayer of fasting. This prayer is with Nehemiah day and night!   Remember the sermon on the mount as it regards proper prayer and fasting? “And Your Father who SEES in secret will reward you.”  Nehemiah was simply stating the promise  expounded on by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount.      He goes on to confess the sins of the church, “confessing the sins of the people of Israel, which WE have sinned against You. Even I and my father’s house have sinned. We have acted very corruptly against you and have not kept (treasured) the commandments, the statutes, and the rules that you commanded Your servant Moses..   Here Nehemiah acknowledges the sin of the people, but he makes it clear that he and his father’s generation are also guilty. Walls don’t fall down overnight, they deteriorate over time.  The reason the walls are broken down and the world has flooded the church, and the gates have been opened is because he, his father’s house, and all the people have gotten sloppy with the Word of God. Father, move us to mourn and fast for Your church when She is in shambles and rejoice when She is doing well.