The following is an excerpt from our daily devotional series Fasting and the Heart of God.

“Then you shall delight yourself in the Lord; and I will cause you to ride on the high hills of the earth, and feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father. The mouth of the Lord has spoken.” (Isaiah 58:14)

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Congratulations!  You have completed 21 days of prayer, repentance, and fasting for yourself, your family, and our nation. During these 21 consecutive days of devotions taken from Isaiah 58, you have been, like God’s people in Isaiah’s day, “eager for God to come near” (Isaiah 58:2).

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How did He come near?  Pause and contemplate how God has spoken to you personally over the last 21 days. Journal with gratitude, writing down what you have heard and learned as you have prayed over Isaiah 58. In doing so, you are setting stones of remembrance, marking this place of hearing from God and responding to the truths He has taught you.

Our hope and prayer is that you have been edified as you have drawn on the principles and instructions God gives us through Isaiah. We pray that you have entered into the joys and blessings of fasting and praying as He has ordained it. Not drudgery and legalism, but as an expression of faith and an experience of personal renewal.

We hope, also, that you have been encouraged, and emboldened, as you pray for the nation and the nation’s leaders. We may never know what effect our prayers and fasting have had on national and/or international issues. We do know that outside of God’s moving, our nation—like all nations apart from a divine visitation— will continue to spiral downward. It is only righteousness that exalts any nation (Proverbs 14:34), and that must be preceded by revival in the Church, which in turn must begin in individual hearts and lives.

As we close this time, we thank you for being obedient to the Lord and taking this journey with us. Please be encouraged to continue to pray, humble yourself, and make a lifestyle of fasting, so we may “feast upon the inheritance if [our] father Jacob.” May the Lord be pleased with our repentance and fasting, and may He bring healing to His Church and to our land.

In your time seeking God today:

• Continue to give thanks to God for every spiritual breakthrough you experienced, every step forward in perceiving His will, and every manifestation of His grace in your life during these days.
• Seasoned Christians know that spiritual steps forward will be challenged by our enemy, the devil. We urge everyone to be encouraged. “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7-10).
• Remember, God is a gracious, loving Father, and even if you didn’t meet all your goals, there is no condemnation. If you took baby steps this time, you will take bigger steps forward next time.

Related Scriptures:

Phil. 1:3-6; 1 Timothy 6:1; James 4:7-10

Fasting and the Heart of God Full PDF Version

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(Photo Credit: Katsia Jazwinska on Unsplash)