The Austin Texas, Stake of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints will be participating this Sunday in a Fast together. For those of you who do not know, a Stake is made up of several congregations of members of the church that live in a geographical area. Each stake is directed by a Stake President, the priesthood authority who receives counsel and revelation for his stake. Our stake President, David Hollingsworth, has asked that the stake join in fasting and prayer this Sunday in regards to the drought that Central Texas is experiencing. So why is am I making this my blog? Well, we were specifically asked to extend this invitation to friends and neighbors. I decided that because I have been given so much, and because I have gained an even stronger testimony of fasting recently, I would feel priveleged to invite my friends (both of my faith and of other faiths) to join me. I know there is power that comes from combining faith.
So what is a fast? Isaiah 58:8-9 says...
"Then shall they light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily:and they righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the Lord shall be thy rereward. Then shalt thou call and the Lord shall answer; thou shalt cry and he shall say, Here I am. If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity; And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity and they darkness be as the noonday."
What this means to me is that God is willing to pour out blessings upon His children, especially those that seek light and ask Him. Fasting is a way to supplicate to the Lord for desired blessings. Let us fast on Sunday, as President Hollingsworth said, for the animals and the fields that have gone without rain for so long. Let us fast for relief from the drought. I think Isaiah 58:10-12 is especially meaningful in regards to this fast...
"And the Lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not. And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in."
If you have never fasted before, here is a pattern I follow. Open your fast with a prayer stating the purpose of the fast. Keep that purpose in your mind and a prayer in your heart all day. Fast for two meals, and close your fast with another prayer of gratitude. If you are unable to fast, please join me in prayer.
God Bless!
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