This is an extract on fasting from our Prayer Guide for our Prayer Week on 19-23 September, particularly to help those who have not fasted before.

What is fasting?

Fasting is a biblical practice, not a biblical command. It means ‘going without’, which can include all food, luxury foods (e.g. chocolate, see for example Daniel 10:2-3), television or a favourite hobby. It is the principle of denying yourself a good thing in order to attain something better. It is a good exercise in self-discipline that helps us to rely on God and experience greater intimacy with Him. Francis Anfuso says, “I don’t fast to see how spiritual I am; I fast to see how spiritual I’m not. Fasting peels off the veneer of godliness. All pretence is starved out, and I’m left with the real me. Fasting helps to loosen me from those things to which I am attached.

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Greatly provoked this morning as I read this popular prayer/poem that is attributed to 16th century adventurer, Sir Francis Drake.

Have a read and see if you are willing to pray and “amen” the dangerous heart of these words:

Disturb us, O Lord,
When we are too pleased with ourselves,
When our dreams have come true
Because we dreamed too little,
When we arrived safely
Because we sailed too close to the shore.

Disturb us, O Lord,
When with the abundance of things we possess
We have lost our thirst for the waters of life;
Having fallen in love with life,
We have ceased to dream of eternity
And in our efforts to build a new earth,
We have allowed our vision of the new Heaven to dim.

Disturb us, O Lord,
To dare more boldly,
To venture on wilder seas,
Where storms will show Your mastery;
Where losing sight of land,
We shall find the stars.

We ask you to push back
The horizons of our hopes;
And to push back the future
In strength, courage, hope, and love.

This we ask in the name of our Captain,
Who is Jesus Christ.

Prayer of Francis Drake, 1577

Please don’t be alarmed if you look at our About Us – Who’s Who page over the next couple of days (from Fri 29 Jul). For a bit of fun all of us on staff and others who are willing to join in have changed their profile picture to a cartoon character of their choice – someone they look like, are like or admire. Everything will be back to normal on Monday (1 Aug).

That’s how Martha felt when Jesus and his disciples paid a surprise visit to her home in Luke 10:38-32. Sometimes the unexpected can expose struggles going on inside us. Martha had an additional thirteen extra guests to worry about. How would you feel if your Senior Pastor knocked on the door with twelve of his mates and said “We were just driving by and thought we might stop in and have dinner with you.” You would probably try to look enthusiastic and welcome the guests in with a less than genuine, frozen smile on your face. As they came in you might apologise for the sink full of dirty dishes and rush to the living room to turn off the episode of Desperate Housewives you’d been watching. At the same time you’d be mentally rummaging through the cupboards wondering what you could serve. Perhaps?

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A helpful passage on how to give is 2 Corinthians 8-9. Here are some principles it teaches us.

Our giving should be sacrificial

The Macedonian church gave generously out of the most severe trial and extreme poverty (8:2). When money and resources were scarce they still gave, even at personal cost to themselves! They clearly did not give from their surplus, they gave sacrificially. It cost the Macedonian church to give. Does our giving cost us?

Our giving should be in proportion to our means

The Macedonian Christians gave as much as they were able (8:3). See also previous post.

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