From Control Freak to Prayer Warrior:  A Lesson in Fasting

By Kimberly Han (Seattle, Washington)

The last couple of weeks I have been fasting.  I fasted sunrise to sundown one week for my daughter’s development, one day for an upcoming church planting, and another day for a relative’s surgery for cancer treatment.  My name is Kimberly and I am a control freak.  As a result, I need to fast. 

Let me explain.  I time event preparations down to the minute.  I have plans B and C in my back pocket just in case.  I often half-joke that I’m planning for the Apocalypse most days.  Conversely, I lose my mind, and sometimes my cool, when things don’t go my way.  And life with an exceptionally laidback husband and two young children — one of whom has special needs — challenges said preparations on a daily basis.

But it’s not about my will – heaven help us if it were.  As a disciple of Jesus, prayer has to be my way of life.  Prayer humbles me and removes life’s distractions so that I may connect with the Spirit and let Him intercede for guidance (Romans 8:26).  When I fast, I’m taking away the distraction of what to eat (and I LOVE to eat as I’m the type of woman to have a Facebook photo album devoted to my enjoyment of pumpkin goodies) and, instead, spending that time praying.  While fasting, I find the time to wrestle through challenges, plead my petitions, and be a prayer warrior before my God.

“Do not be anxious or worried about anything, but in everything [every circumstance and situation] by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, continue to make your [specific] requests known to God”   Philippians 4:6 (Amplified Bible).  I came across this familiar gem with new insight in a different translation.  God’s heart is to want to hear and know our specific requests.  Times of fasting give me the opportunity to get deep and specific.  My busy schedule of balancing exercise, a full-time job, my daughter’s physical therapy exercise, my son’s sight word reading, prepping meals for dinner and lunches the next day, housekeeping, and rotating ministry events such as midweek, Bible studies, discipling groups, and the like can limit both my time and energy for deep prayers.  I find myself with shallow, general requests on a normal day.  But when I’m fasting, hunger pains or mealtimes remind me to take the time to pray.  By taking that time, the Spirit stirs me to a place of vulnerability. 

The Spirit puts things on my heart to pray – things that I may not have thought to bring before God previously.  Then seeing those prayers answered is mind-blowing, inspiring, encouraging, and faith-building – prayers like finding glasses that same day, so my daughter can see better and ultimately be supported in her development; or the answered prayer for a successful surgery to remove cancer cells, preventing further spreading.  Sometimes the victories seem tiny.  Other times they are mountains plummeting into the sea (Mark 11:23).  Thank Heaven we have a God who cares about them all and wants to give us good things (James 1:17).