Urgent Call To Forty Days Of Fasting And Prayer

September 20, 2010

Religious leaders all over the country have marked today, September 20, as the beginning of a 40 day fast, taking us right up to the November 2010 mid term election.

If you are not religious but have some agnostic related view of God, you too are invited. Simply pray that whoever God is, He will answer your prayer. And to my atheist friends, I have no desire to leave you out. Feel free to join us. That is a sincere offer, not an attempt to make you feel foolish by urging participation with an action you may deem to be little more than a conversation with thin air. Who knows? Perhaps your convictions that God does not exist are mistaken. Maybe in the midst of these 40 days, God will make Himself known to you. Stranger things have happened.

Even as I seek to loosen the barrier between religious and nonreligious, let me also point out that this is not about Democrats or Republicans. Both parties have much to answer for these past few decades. Many from each affiliation as well as other political organizations are coming together with complete dependence upon God, uncertain anymore if our political system alone will be enough to make a change. No, that does not mean we want a theocracy. It does mean we yearn for a return to the spiritual elements essential to an honest implementation of the true constitution, a cherished founding document that needs to be free from exploitation and false interpretation.

We are praying for our country’s return to God. Many of us are convinced that spiritual bankruptcy created the current crisis of financial destitution, moral decay, and tyrannical elements of a government seeking to assert greater control over a nation that is supposed to be a combination Democracy/Republic. Believe me, if you were as convinced as I am of America’s paralyzed condition, you would not only want to fast, you would be desperate to do so. Supposing you had a chance to go back through time and warn the people of Johnstown about the impending flood? What if you could teleport to the early 1930’s and warn the Germans not to elect Adolf Hitler as Chancellor? (No, I am not comparing any body in current American politics to Hitler. Take a deep breath and relax.) I am instead suggesting that we are headed down a similar road, the clearest road signs being a myriad of court cases and impending laws geared toward the suppression of free speech. Supposing you lived in Germany at a time when the Nazi movement existed only in an embryonic form? Much as you want to warn people, few are listening. Then, God speaks, assuring you that nothing will reverse the tide of events without fasting and prayer. Would the sacrifice be worth it?

Naturally, a good many of you do not believe things have gotten quite so bad if at all bad. Fully aware that my written S.O.S. may sound like the most vulgar form of unfounded paranoia, I persistently leave you with just three more thoughts.

1) I respect your right to disagree with me.

2) I am aware that many do not have the time or desire to follow the news carefully. I do not blame you at all. Today’s news can be depressing and it is only natural to focus on less stressful, less intense, avenues of life. I entirely understand. And of course, even amongst people who monitor current events, wide chasms of disagreement prevail. Be that as it may, I offer anybody willing to open their mind just as many facts, quotations, and verifications you request to be convinced that our country really is in trouble and that freedom is currently suspended by a very thin thread for everybody, be they Conservative, be they Liberal, be they Moderate, be they Libertarian. This is not a conspiracy theory. Quite the contrary, it is only a matter of truly listening to what people in power shamelessly admit that they plan to do.

3) You may be so convinced I’m mistaken, you would never dream of wasting your time to correspond with me or anyone else with a similar view. That is your choice. I urge you to fast and pray anyway. The worst thing that could happen is that our nation gets an extra 40 days of petitions before God. That couldn’t possibly hurt, could it? As your focus turns away from the needs of the body, your spirit will be strengthened. You will find yourself loving what God loves, hating what God hates, and praying as God directs.

I’m not a legalistic Christian and neither are the national leaders encouraging this fast. They suggest an all liquid diet for our designated fasting time. Please do not participate in any fast if you have special health needs. Some of you may wish to consult a doctor first. There are also variations to a long fast. Maybe, as an alternative to eating absolutely nothing, you can limit yourself to one meal a day instead of three. Or drop all sweets for forty days. (For me, that is huge, and it might just help me to be less huge.) Or, if you must eat more than one meal, consider smaller portions. If you are on a special diet that you cannot break, consider fasting from television or some other pleasure. The matter is between you and God. But I encourage you to at least do something. It is time for people to come together in any way they can. If Jesus will honor even a mustard seed’s worth of faith, I believe he will honor any amount of fasting you offer.

May the Lord of Mercy bless each and every one of you, regardless of your background, viewpoint, or convictions.