Fasting and Prayer

Fasting and Prayer 

Subject – What We Can Expect When We Fast and Pray Sincerely

By Rick Welborne

Isaiah 58:1-14 (NKJV)
¹  "Cry aloud, spare not; Lift up your voice like a trumpet; Tell My people their transgression, And the house of Jacob their sins.
²  Yet they seek Me daily, And delight to know My ways, As a nation that did righteousness, And did not forsake the ordinance of their God. They ask of Me the ordinances of justice; They take delight in approaching God.
³  'Why have we fasted,' they say, 'and You have not seen? Why have we afflicted our souls, and You take no notice?' "In fact, in the day of your fast you find pleasure, And exploit all your laborers.
⁴  Indeed you fast for strife and debate, And to strike with the fist of wickedness. You will not fast as you do this day, To make your voice heard on high.
⁵  Is it a fast that I have chosen, A day for a man to afflict his soul? Is it to bow down his head like a bulrush, And to spread out sackcloth and ashes? Would you call this a fast, And an acceptable day to the LORD?
⁶  "Is this not the fast that I have chosen: To loose the bonds of wickedness, To undo the heavy burdens, To let the oppressed go free, And that you break every yoke?
⁷  Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, And that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out; When you see the naked, that you cover him, And not hide yourself from your own flesh?
⁸  Then your light shall break forth like the morning, Your healing shall spring forth speedily, And your righteousness shall go before you; The glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard.
⁹  Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer; You shall cry, and He will say, 'Here I am.' "If you take away the yoke from your midst, The pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness,
¹⁰  If you extend your soul to the hungry And satisfy the afflicted soul, Then your light shall dawn in the darkness, And your darkness shall be as the noonday.
¹¹  The LORD will guide you continually, And satisfy your soul in drought, And strengthen your bones; You shall be like a watered garden, And like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.
¹²  Those from among you Shall build the old waste places; You shall raise up the foundations of many generations; And you shall be called the Repairer of the Breach, The Restorer of Streets to Dwell In.
¹³  "If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath, From doing your pleasure on My holy day, And call the Sabbath a delight, The holy day of the LORD honorable, And shall honor Him, not doing your own ways, Nor finding your own pleasure, Nor speaking your own words,
¹⁴  Then you shall delight yourself in the LORD; And I will cause you to ride on the high hills of the earth, And feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father. The mouth of the LORD has spoken." 

--As we gather to pray and seek the Lord in 2024, I want you to understand that we can expect great things from God when we do it sincerely.

--I also want you to understand, according to the Word, that you shouldn’t expect anything from God when you do not meet His expectations. Are you saying God’s promises are conditional? Yes!

1. Conditions for Effective Fasting and Prayer.

--This is simply according to this chapter in Isaiah. I believe we can take God’s Word for what it says.

--Verse 1 tells us the first thing we must be willing to do to get ready for effective fasting and prayer is to point out sin and obvious transgression. We can’t live any way we want and expect God to answer us.

--Verse 2 tells us to stop with the hypocrisy. Stop pretending we really want to know God and obey Him. Stop pretending in worship that we really are here to honor Him when we know we are not living right.

--Verse 3 tells to stop acting like we don’t know why God does not answer our prayers and does not acknowledge our fasting. How you treat people nullifies any hope of answered prayers.

--Verses 4&5 exposes again our hypocrisy because we want to be noticed for our fasting and prayers. We want people to know we are suffering. God asked…is this acceptable? The answer is no!

--Verse 9 tells us to stop pointing our finger at others (false accusations) and stop the malicious talk (speaking wickedness). If you want answered prayers, stop slandering others. Stop it!

--Verse 13 tells us what many do not want to hear but here we go again. The expectation of results from our fasting and prayer are directly connected to our love for God’s house and His day.

--Please don’t tell me you really want God to answer your prayers about prodigals or anything else when you are unfaithful to His house and honoring Him on His Day!

Hebrews 10:24-25 (NKJV) ²⁴ And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works,
²⁵  not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.

--Verse 13 again is very clear that we are not to do our own thing or our own pleasure on His Day. Our prayers being answered is directly tied to our faithfulness to God and His House.

2. God’s Purpose for Sincere Fasting and Prayer.

--Verse 6 tells us that true fasting and prayer will loose the bonds of wickedness. How many of you know someone who is bound by wickedness, addictions, spirits, or inappropriate relationships?

Luke 4:18 (NKJV) ¹⁸ "The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed; 

--How many of you know family or friends who are under heavy burdens and they need to be free? If we fast and pray they can be free from their burdens. 

Isaiah 10:27 (NKJV) ²⁷ It shall come to pass in that day That his burden will be taken away from your shoulder, And his yoke from your neck, And the yoke will be destroyed because of the anointing oil. 

--Verse 6 There are so many oppressed by life and by the enemy of our souls but when the enemy comes in like a flood (we fast and pray) the Spirit of the Lord will raise up a standard against him.

--How do we flesh out what it looks like to be a person who fasts and prays in sincerity?

Isaiah 58:7(NKJV) ⁷ Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, And that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out; When you see the naked, that you cover him, And not hide yourself from your own flesh? 

3. Prayers that will be answered when we fast and pray in truth.

--Verse 8 tells us that our light shall break forth like the morning…As we fast and pray God will take our influence to the next level in our witnessing, discipleship, and even in business.

--Verse 8 your healing shall spring forth speedily. Who does not want to see their prayers answered for healing. Maybe, just maybe, the missing ingredients is diligent fasting and prayer. 

--During this 21 days of fasting, concentrate on the person you want healed and watch what God can do.

--The glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard. God will be our protector and the protector of those we are praying for.

Psalm 91:1-7 (NKJV)
¹  He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
²  I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust."
³  Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler And from the perilous pestilence.
⁴  He shall cover you with His feathers, And under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler.
⁵  You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, Nor of the arrow that flies by day,
⁶  Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, Nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday.
⁷  A thousand may fall at your side, And ten thousand at your right hand; But it shall not come near you. 

--Verse 9 tells us that we will definitely have answers to our prayers. How many of you are tired of getting a busy signal or no return calls? 

Isaiah 58:9 (NKJV) 9Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer; You shall cry, and He will say, 'Here I am.’

--Verse 11 He promises us divine direction. The LORD will guide you continually.

--I hear politicians talk about building the infrastructure of the United States here America and most of it is just talk. Yet our roads, bridges, our buildings are getting older and older and are falling apart.

--How much more the infrastructure of our nation from a spiritual and moral perspective. When we fast and pray we can do it.

Isaiah 58:12 (NKJV) ¹² Those from among you Shall build the old waste places; You shall raise up the foundations of many generations; And you shall be called the Repairer of the Breach, The Restorer of Streets to Dwell In. 

2 Chronicles 7:12-16 (NKJV)
¹²  Then the LORD appeared to Solomon by night, and said to him: "I have heard your prayer, and have chosen this place for Myself as a house of sacrifice.
¹³  When I shut up heaven and there is no rain, or command the locusts to devour the land, or send pestilence among My people,
¹⁴  if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.
¹⁵  Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to prayer made in this place.
¹⁶  For now I have chosen and sanctified this house, that My name may be there forever; and My eyes and My heart will be there perpetually.

--Let us fast and pray!