Title: Joel's Fasting Prayer
Content Title: Joel's Fasting Prayer
Bible: Joel 2:12-20
We fast and pray for two weeks ahead of Happy Day on May 15th. Let's all become believers who pray with the prospective believers in our hearts. The word of this text is a message of disaster, but the locusts in the Near East are a terrible pest that licks up all the weeds and destroys them all. The prophet Joel said that we must realize that the terrible disaster that fell upon Judah did not come by chance, but was a punishment and a scourge from God. Therefore, the prophet Joel proclaimed a fast day and a solemn assembly.
Those who cry rightly realizing the hand of God are those who are ready to come to the place of prayer. Joel realizes and calls out to the weeping people to come to the place of prayer in earnest.
The one who weeps should not lie down in the house, but get up at dawn and come to the place of prayer. Sometimes, we need to set a special time and place for prayer and focus on prayer. Fasting is a life-giving attitude, an act of sincere repentance and mourning for being humbled and grieving.
First, look to the mercy of God and pray.
The Prophet Joel explained what God is like to encourage sinful people to return to Him. God is the one who punishes sin, but not the God of curses and hatred that destroys sinners. Because of this, He is a “gracious” God who does not ask about the past and gives blessings to those who come back after repenting. He declared that He is a “merciful” God who delights in the forgiveness of sins, a “slow to anger” and long-suffering God, and a “great merciful” God who bestows every kind of good.
Second, the benefits of fasting and prayer
If you look at the people of great faith described in the Bible, you can see that they fasted and prayed consistently. After Moses fasted and prayed for 40 days on Mount Sinai, he received the Ten Commandments from God. Jesus also was tempted by Satan after fasting and praying for 40 days, but he overcame it with the Word.
Third, the attitude of the heart to fast and pray
1) We must fast and pray with God-centered faith.
Jesus taught us to pray for our daily bread. But in order to pray, there are times when you have to refrain from eating and other times from sleeping. It is God's blessing that we eat, sleep, and enjoy a happy family life, but sometimes we fast, sleep, and pray in order to receive blessings greater than ordinary blessings.
2) For continuous prayer, you must fast and pray.
Sometimes in our religious life, we experience a case where prayer is cut off or we are unable to pray for even 5 minutes. But in order to be able to pray consistently, we must fast and pray earnestly.
3) You must fast and pray to purify your heart.
There are many things that entangle our thoughts when we try to pray. If you try to satisfy human desires or work zealously to accomplish worldly things, you will neglect to pray and will not be able to pray with all your might. But when I fast and pray, I feel less interested in what I eat, while my heart is pure and my spirit is cleared.
4) We must fast and pray because we can have greater faith. Prayer is asking by faith. It means that our faith can be strengthened when we fast and pray so that we can have greater faith.
5) Fasting and prayer must be done with a mourning heart (2 Samuel 12:16-22)
Fourth, the benefits of fasting and prayer
1) When we are in trouble, we can be saved by fasting and praying. The psalmist said, “Call on me in the day of trouble, and I will deliver you, and you will glorify me (Psalm 50:15).
2) When we want to realize what our faults are, we must fast and pray. Let's all participate in fasting.