One thing about fasting, particularly if you haven't done this much before is remember if you have to drive or operate machinery, being low blood sugar can give you the shakes and impair judgement. Be careful.
(This is not to excuse breaking a fast. This is to remind you to organize your day so that you won't put yourself or others in harm's way if you need to go somewhere).
Yep, fasting is a sacrifice. It hurts, usually headaches, and counting what you are giving up, can be made worse with caffiene withdrawals. But this is what we are going...telling God we are willing to give up something that makes us feel good and comfortable and everyday to say we really mean this prayer. It is like grieving, in a way. Frequently, when in fresh grief, we don't eat, we are totally focused on what is causing us pain, like the death of a loved one.
When we fast, we are telling God we are in grief over sin. We reject the world and its comforts in repentance to focus on the broken relationship between man and God which sin creates, to show our humility, to emphasize God is the Lord and we are not God.
Today, we are praying and fasting for all the sin and evil in our country, and asking God to let Bush win, to protect us from the enemy. We make ourselves small so that the Lord may lift us up, for he much prefers humility to hubris.
And it probably will hurt, because humbling isn't necessarily the easy way!
Prayer:
O my Jesus,
forgive me for all those times
I have told you what to do,
how to do it
and when,
when I should have relied
on your sense of timing,
your knowledge,
your wisdom.
O my Jesus,
forgive me for all those times
I thought it was I who was the doer,
I who had the strength,
I who had the wisdom.
when it was you
who was holding my hand,
lifting me up,
keeping me safe.
O my Jesus,
forgive me all those times
when you came to me in the guise
of someone distressed,
in need,
ugly,
angry,
or hard to like,
when I chose to be rude,
or ignore you,
or curt,
or cold.
O my Jesus,
help me remember
that you are my wisdom,
you are my strength,
you are my fortress.
Teach me to love
as you love,
see as you see,
care as you care
until I become
a tool of your mercy,
an instrument of your peace,
a lantern of your light,
Amen.
Therefore, we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes on not what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. 2 Corinthians 4: 16-18
O Lord,
how large our momentary troubles loom,
how high our anxiety,
but you are Lord,
and in your hands we may rest assured.
Be with us this day
as we offer up our anxieties for the day,
our worries about tomorrow,
and our qualms about the future.
Remind us that you are in command,
Help us to cooperate with your plan for us,
Rekindle the fire when it gets faint,
and let our hearts burn to follow your ways.
Today we ask especially for our country,
that you will forgive us the wrongs done,
that you will guide our hands to set things right,
that you will show us the way
to strengthen the family,
save the unborn,
and cherish those most in need.
Be with Mr. Bush this day,
guide his actions,
guard his ways,
and if it is your will,
let nothing stand in way of his reelection.
Teach us to care about your way
as much as we care about this election,
and always to choose your right
over the darkness.
Amen.