2 Chronicles 20:3 And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.
Proclamation of a fast is an act of humility. Fasting does not change God or persuade Him to do something outside of His will but fasting changes us and positions us to lay hold of His power. Proclamation of a fast tells God that we want Him to take over. It is an act of surrender to God’s plan and God’s will. Abraham Lincoln was the most influential US president. He proclaimed March 30, 1863 as the National Day of Fasting and Prayer. In the proclamation he stated, “And I do hereby request all the People to abstain, on that day, from their ordinary secular pursuits, and to unite, at their several places of public worship and their respective homes, in keeping the day holy to the Lord, and devoted to the humble discharge of the religious duties proper to that solemn occasion”. Abraham Lincoln’s astounding leadership during the civil war and the abolition of slavery has elevated him as the greatest president of the United States of America. Lincoln inculcated godly principles in the nation during his tenure as the president.
Fasting is another powerful proclamation that disciplines our life. Physical deprivation of food for a specific period of time brings emotional and spiritual discipline. Saying no to the rumbling of the stomach and using the hunger pangs to turn our focus on the Lord puts a bridle on our thought patterns. “The secret to tapping into the supernatural is for you to have the courage to do the natural first” – Jentenzen Franklin. When we make ‘fasting food’ a regular practice, we will see God answer and quench our hunger in all areas of our life.
Before making any political moves or decisions, Jehoshaphat proclaimed a fast. Fasting helps us to overcome fear of the future. Fasting draws us closer to the plan and will of God. Fasting turns our focus from fear to the faithfulness of God.
Proclaim a fast:
1. Turn: Proclamation of the fast turned the hearts of the people towards the Lord. Rather than trembling in fear the people of Judah turned towards the Lord. When fear grips you about any issue, proclaim a fast. Fasting turns our focus on the ‘might and power’ of God and diminishes the fear of the enemy.
2. Trick: Proclamation of a fast, tricks the trickster. The Ammonites and Moabites rose up against the men from Mount Seir to destroy and annihilate them. After they finished slaughtering the men from Seir, they helped to destroy one another (2 Chronicles 20:23).
3. Triumph: Proclamation of the fast, brought the triumph. When the men of Judah came to the place that overlooks the desert and looked toward the vast army, they saw only dead bodies lying on the ground; no one had escaped (2 Chronicles 20:24).
Fasting is an act of humility that brings victory.
2 Chronicles 20:28 They entered Jerusalem and went to the temple of the Lord with harps and lyres and trumpets.
Prayer: Father God, give me the tenacity to bring fasting into my regular routine. Help me to fast and focus my attention on you. Amen.
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