Week of Prayer & Fasting from 5th-12th March

Why?

As we reflect on what has been happening at Lymm Baptist over the last twelve months, it is vital we seek God’s guidance for the coming year. We continue to need God’s direction about how best to re-order the church as its form must follow its function and God’s purposes for us as a church. We need God’s wisdom and leading in what God is calling us to focus on this coming year in terms of our priorities and use of time and how we might best work together.

Why fast as well as pray?

Fasting is primarily the act of willingly abstaining for a period of time from food, drink, or both, or from something else which is very important to us which may stop us from spending time with God (e.g. social media). It enables us to focus on God, deny and humble ourselves, seek God in times of challenge and questioning, boost our faith, tap into spiritual power and overcome the powers and principalities of this world which seek to frustrate God’s purposes. There are many references to fasting in the bible: Jesus did so (Matthew 4:2; Luke 4:14) as did Moses (Exodus 34:28), Daniel (Daniel 9:3) and the Jews (Judges 20:26) and Jesus expected his followers to do the same (Matthew 6:16-18).

When?

Can we encourage each you to choose a specific time or day this coming week to fast and pray? Please feel free to pop into church to use the prayer room where there will be prayer resources and a prayer book available if you that would be helpful to you. It will be open each weekday from 9-3pm and there will be an opportunity to pray together from 12-1pm each of those days. We will also be focussing on the topics mentioned above at church prayer meetings which will be held at 8-9pm on Tuesday 7th March and at 8-9pm Thursday 9th March. It would be great if as many of us as possible could at least fast together on either of those days.

Sharing

If you strongly believe that God has revealed something of significance to you during the week either in a dream, a vision or through a picture, a passage of scripture or some other happening, please do let Jonathan or Richard know.