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Day 16: God Intervenes When We Fast and Pray
Opening Prayer
Heavenly Father, You are a God who hears the cries of Your people and responds to the prayers of the humble and contrite. Throughout scripture You have shown yourself to intervene on behalf of those who fast and pray, showing Your power to deliver, heal and bring about Your will. Come near to us now by Your Spirit. Help us to draw close to You through fasting, prayer and repentance. May we experience afresh Your mighty hand at work as You hear from heaven and answer according to Your perfect plans and purposes. We ask this in the name of Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
Scripture Reading and Reflection
Joel 2:12-13 KJV
Therefore also now, saith the Lord, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning:
And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the Lord your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil.
Reflection:
When we commit to fasting and fervent prayer, we unlock God’s power to act on our behalf. Through humility and surrender of our fleshly desires, we position ourselves to experience His mighty interventions. Scripture gives countless examples of God moving in response to the fasts of His people. When Esther and the Jews fasted facing annihilation, God raised her up to save His chosen ones from destruction (Esther 4:16). As Ezra prepared for a journey needing God’s protection, he proclaimed a fast that saw the hand of the Lord guiding them (Ezra 8:21-23). Jesus affirmed that some demons cannot be driven out except by prayer and fasting, showing fasting intensifies spiritual authority (Matthew 17:21). When Israel faced exile for their rebellion, God heard Jeremiah’s fasting prayers and delayed the judgment (Jeremiah 26:19). In Daniel’s prayer of fasting and repentance for Israel’s restoration from exile, the Lord dispatched Gabriel to give insight into future redemption (Daniel 9:20-23). And in Joel’s warning of coming invasion, He instructed Israel to “rend your heart and not your garments” through repentance proven by fasting (Joel 2:12-13). These accounts testify that God intervenes powerfully on behalf of fasting saints. As we humble ourselves before Him through prayer and purposeful abstinence, may we experience His miraculous working anew. He promises to heal our land when we turn to Him in fasting, weeping and mourning over sin (2 Chronicles 7:14).Hymn:
O God, Hear Thou the Nation’s Prayer
1. O God, hear Thou the nation’s prayer, We lift our cause to Thee; We wage the holy war of Christ; We fight to make men free.
2. Give us to build our cities pure, Salvation throned above, To shelter lowly homes from ill, And teach our hearts to love. [originally, And tune our mills with love]
3. Give us to guide the alien feet, To teach the brother’s way, To save our motherhood from need; To guard our children’s play.
4. May visions call and faith enflame, And banish lust and greed; O God, make Thou our home to be [originally, Make Thou America to be] A land of soulful deed.
Lyrics: Irving Maurer, Music: Johann Crüger
Creative Activities: 1. Scripture Writing
Write out Joel 2:12-13 in your best handwriting on the Scripture writing page which you can download below.
Please download the Scripture Writing Page below. It is for personal and educational use (school, homeschooling) as well as for use at church and in ministry only.
Commercial use not allowed.
Download Scripture Writing Page
Creative Activities: 2. Bible Journaling
- Sketch Daniel kneeling with a hand reaching from heaven
- Highlight verses about fasting and prayer
- Underline keywords and draw lines connecting them
- Write prayers for restoration in margins
- Illustrate Esther standing before the king
- Highlight Esther’s call to fast for 3 days
- Circle verses about the Jews fasting and praying
- Note insights about God delivering His people through prayer
- Draw a heart being ripped in two to depict “rend your heart”
- Underline the call to return to God with fasting, weeping, mourning
- Write out Joel 2:12-13 as prayers of repentance
- Highlight keywords like “fasting,” “return,” “Lord declares”
Creative Activities: 3. Doodling
Please download the Doodle Printable below. It is for personal and educational use (school, homeschooling) as well as for use at church and in ministry only.
Commercial use not allowed.Download Doodle Printable
Creative Activities: 4. Journaling
Reflect and Journal:
- Identify one specific intention you feel led to pray and fast for regularly. In your journal, document this situation or need along with any relevant Scripture, prayers, or insights from your time with the Lord today. Be open to how He may choose to work in response to your consecrated prayers of fasting.
Download Journal Printable
Applying and Taking Action
- Commit to a 1-3 day personal or communal fast this week, alone or with friends/family, and devote focused prayer to your intention from the journal prompt.
- Research fasting traditions and methods to guide your consecrated time of prayer and abstinence.
- Memorize one of the key Bible verses to meditate on God’s promises throughout each day.
- Sign up to pray and fast regularly for specific revival, social justice or spiritual revival goals over 40 days of Lent.
- Journal observations during and after your fast about any insights, spiritual struggles or ways you sense God at work.
- Consider joining or leading others in prayerfully seeking God’s face through intentional fasting beyond Lent.
Closing Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for Your faithfulness and for teaching us through Your Word. We praise You for the powerful stories of how You helped Daniel, Esther and Your people when they prayed and fasted. Thank You for showing us that you want to hear us and are willing to answer when we come to You humbly. As we end our time together, we pray that You will use what we have learned to help us draw closer to You in prayer and times of fasting. Give us hearts that desire to seek Your will and obey You fully. Help us apply these lessons in ways that honor You. And please hear our prayers for the specific needs we have brought before You. We trust You to answer in Your perfect timing and way. May our lives point others to You as we follow Jesus’ example of fasting and prayer. We ask this in His name, Amen.
If you have been blessed by this Creative Lent Devotional, please share it with others. Many thanks. God bless you!
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