“See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples,
but the LORD rises upon you and his glory appears over you.” (Isaiah 60:2)
Isaiah 60:2 depicts a visualization of the spiritual atmosphere at the time of Isaiah; the Lord was shining His light like a rising morning sun on the earth that was covered with deep darkness. Prayer is not an option; it is a necessity. However, oftentimes we find it difficult to do. This is because the weight of the deep spiritual darkness in this world continues to press down our heart and soul. In a story in the book of Daniel, Daniel sets his mind to pray and focus on God for 21 days. “At that time I, Daniel, mourned for three weeks. I ate no choice food; no meat or wine touched my lips; and I used no lotions at all until the three weeks were over.” (Daniel 10:2-3). “He set his mind to gain understanding and to humble himself before God,” (Daniel 10:12). As a result, he experienced God’s answer to his prayer. He then realized that he was at spiritual war in those 21 days. (Daniel 10:13)
Remembering Daniel in the Bible, we will also set aside 21 days to focus on God and discipline ourselves. From January 1st until 21st, we will fasten our hearts and will to God through self-restraint and concentration. The ultimate goal of this abstinence is not to inflict stress physically, but to get fulfilled spiritually. It is like emptying out space before filling in. I pray that we can cleanse our soul and mind and fill it with spiritual grace and blessings. Most importantly, I would like our purpose to be God. I pray that during this prayer session, we get to know God’s heart and get one step closer to Him.
Just like what we eat matters to our physical health, what we think, see and hear matters to our spiritual health. So during the 21 days of prayer, we recommend that you abstain not only from eating, but also from media (TV and Internet). You may be lost not knowing what to do on the first day, but as time goes on, you and your family will start to read books and engage in conversations. I want you to spend your new free time earned from abstaining from the media listening to the book “humility” by pastor Andrew Murray, praying, and reading the Bible. We will host prayer meetings in our church once a week as well. Please come and join.
I will leave it up to your choice on what to abstain on and to what extent, as everyone’s individual and family circumstances differ. Please select one or two from the following list.
Media Fasting: Abstain from watching TV or being on the internet for 21 days.
Daniel Fasting: Abstain from all meats and sweets, having only vegetables and other foods.
One-meal Fasting: Abstain from one meal a day.
Other: Choose your own option.
Please join us in the 21 day Daniel prayer in any form or shape so we can offer our hearts and will to God.
Following the shepherd…
Pastor Jiwon Choi