I hope you will consider joining us in a city wide fast for renewal and revival from January 11th to 31st. Why prayer and fasting? The answer is really simple – because God encourages it! The Bible mentions fasting some 77 times. It is a topic far more frequent in Scripture than our pulpit.
Jesus said in His Sermon on the Mount – “And when you fast, don’t make it obvious, as the hypocrites do, for they try to look miserable and disheveled so people will admire them for their fasting. I tell you the truth, that is the only reward they will ever get. But when you fast, comb your hair and wash your face. Then no one will notice that you are fasting, except your Father, who knows what you do in private. And your Father, who sees everything, will reward you” (Matt. 6:16-18).
Notice what Jesus said, “when you fast”. Jesus expects His followers to practice this ancient and modern spiritual discipline. Fasting is a common discipline practiced throughout the Old Testament, the New Testament, Church history, and still today by men and women who earnestly desire to obey, know and receive from God Almighty.
Edward Farrell points out, “Almost everywhere at all times fasting has held a place of great importance since it is closely linked with the intimate sense of religion. Perhaps this is the explanation for the demise of fasting in our day. When the sense of God diminishes, fasting disappears.”
There are various kinds of fasts. Fasting from food is the obvious example, but even then it might be partial (1 or 2 meals a day, or certain types of foods). Martyn Lloyd-Jones said, “Fasting should really be made to include abstinence from anything which is legitimate in and of itself for the sake of some special spiritual purpose.”
In that case, we should consider fasting from anything that has the potential to be a substitute for God. Have you ever gone for the remote control before your Bible? You might consider fasting from TV. Have you gone to Facebook before prayer? You might consider fasting from social media. Has sports radio or political talk shows become more important than God? You might consider turning your commute into a time of focused prayer.
That brings me to another component we need to consider. We don’t simply want to remove something, but we want to add prayer in its place. Whatever it is you are refraining from, should provide you the reminder to take time to pray. When you are fasting from food and a hunger arises, you turn that into an opportunity to pray. When you are fasting from TV and your favorite show is on, you take that time to pray instead. Whatever it is you are fasting from, should provide you with plenty of opportunities to seek the Lord.
John Calvin writes about fasting in his Institutes of the Christian Religion, “According to the need of the times, [pastors] should exhort the people either to fasting or to solemn supplications, or to other acts of humility, repentance, and faith” (4.12.14).
As a city, we want to focus our prayers on four particular topics: rain (2 Chronicles 7:13; James 5:17-18), repentance (2 Chronicles 7:14; Luke 13:1-9), revival (Psalm 85:4-7; Hebrews 4:14-16; Ezekiel 36:25-27), and unity 
(Psalm 133; Colossians 3:11-15).
If you are interested in reading further resources I encourage you to consider John Piper’s A Hunger for God. You can download a free pdf copy of the book and read it over the 21 days of fasting and prayer. I pray the Lord richly blesses this season in the life of our church and this city.