Lesson 20

Petitionary prayer is prayer that asks God for help.
Petitionary prayer with fasting is prayer by a person wants to humble himself before God when he prays for help (Psalm 35:13).

When we fast, we are humbling ourselves before God (Psalm 35:13).
We are telling God that we truly need Him and His power.
We are telling God that we need Him desperately and absolutely.
We are telling God that without Him we can do nothing good.
We are telling God that we are totally dependent on Him.
We are telling God that if He does not bless us, we will die.
This is the meaning of humbling ourselves before God.

When we humble ourselves, God promises to exalt us (Luke 18:14).
When we humble ourselves in prayer, God promises to hear us (2 Chronicles 7:14).
Such prayer with fasting will always move God to hear our prayers.

IF my people, who are called by my name, will HUMBLE themselves and PRAY and seek my face and TURN from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.
(2 Chronicles 7:14)

Many times in their history, the people of Israel were in great danger, failure and defeat.
They needed God's intervention in order to walk in victory again.
To seek God's intervention, they turned to Him in prayer and fasting.
As they prayed and fasted, God intervened and delivered them.

Among the incidents in the Old Testament where God answered prayer because of the prayer and fasting of His people, the following are significant:

By the end of the reign of Saul, the first King of Israel, the nation was in great crisis and disarray.
Saul and his sons had died in battle with the Philistines (1 Samuel 31:1-13).
The Israelite army had been totally defeated.
The Israelite abandoned their towns and fled from the promised land.

At this point in time, the mighty men from Jabesh Gilead fasted for seven days.
This was the turning point in the history of the nation from decline and defeat.

When all the people of Jabesh Gilead heard of what the Philistines had done to Saul, all their valiant men journeyed through the night to Beth Shan. They took down the bodies of Saul and his sons from the wall of Beth Shan and buried them under a tamarisk tree at Jabesh, and they FASTED seven days.
(1 Samuel 31:11-13)

David became king after that and restored and expanded the territory of Israel.
He became the king of a united country.
The Israelite army was victorious in all her wars under David.
All her enemies were defeated, bringing fame and wealth to Israel and to King David (2 Samuel 8:1-14).

Under King Jehoshaphat, Judah was no longer a mighty nation.
At one point the armies of three nations came as one against Judah.
At this point of need, Jehoshaphat called upon the nation to turn to God in prayer and fasting (2 Chronicles 20:1-12).

After this, the Moabites and Ammonites with some of the Meunites came to make war on Jehoshaphat.
Some men came and told Jehoshaphat, "A vast army is coming against you from Edom, from the other side of the Sea. It is already in Hazazon Tamar" (that is, En Gedi). Alarmed, Jehoshaphat resolved to inquire of the Lord, and he proclaimed a FAST for all Judah. The people of Judah came together to seek help from the Lord; indeed they cam from EVERY TOWN in Judah to seek him.
All the men of Judah, with their wives and children and little ones, stood there before the Lord.
(2 Chronicles 20:1-5, 13)

God answered them by giving them a strategy to face the enemies.
As the army of Israel marched forth with singers at the head of the army, God caused the armies of their enemies to destroy one another (2 Chronicles 20:20-23).
An entire enemy force was destroyed without the people of God using their weapons.

And all this had come about because God's people turn corporately to Him in prayer and fasting.
We note here that the fasting include men, women, children and little ones, from every town in Judah.
No one is too young to be involved in fasting.

Because of their rebellion, God caused Jerusalem to be ransacked and the nation of Israel to go into captivity in Babylon for 70 years.
At the end of that period, Daniel, a man of God who served as Prime Minister in Babylon, turned to God in prayer and fasting (Daniel 9:1-19).
He prayed that God would restore the city of Jerusalem as He has promised.

In the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, understood from the scriptures, according to the word of the lord given to Jeremiah the prophet, that the desolation of Jerusalem would last seventy years. So I turned to the Lord and pleaded with Him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes.
(Daniel 9:2-3)

As Daniel fasted and prayed, God sent the angel Gabriel to give him the answer.
God gave Daniel a revelation of His plans for Jerusalem, not only concerning its restoration, but also concerning the coming of the Messiah to Jerusalem.
It was through Daniel's intercession that the restoration of Jerusalem began to take place.

Notice that Daniel, although a prophet, was a student of God's word.
It was from God's word that he found out God's will for Jerusalem.
If you want to be a true prophet, you must be grounded in God's word.
Otherwise, your prophecies will be false prophecies if they contradict God's word.

Also, note that although Daniel knew that it was God's plan to restore Jerusalem after 70 years of desolation, he prayed for it to come to pass.
Knowing God's will is not enough for it to come to pass on this earth.
We must pray so that God's will is established on this earth.
Prayer causes God's will to be done on earth as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:9-13).

However, not only Daniel fasted and prayed for Jerusalem.
Nehemiah, a cup-bearer in the court of the Babylonian king, also fasted and prayed.
As a result, God gave him favor from the king (Nehemiah 2:1-10).
He obtained from the king supplies and help for the rebuilding of Jerusalem.

"When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and FASTED and prayed before the God of heaven."
(Nehemiah 1:4)

Many groups of Jews went back from Babylon to rebuild Jerusalem and its temple.
One of the group, consisting of men, women and children, was led by Ezra, a scribe.
However, the journey was a long one, through territory infested with bandits and robbers, and no protection had been requested from the king of Babylon.

Ezra did what God required when we turn to Him for help (2 Chronicles 7:14).
Ezra fasted and prayed (Ezra 8:21-23).
And God undertook, and brought the exiles under Ezra safely to Jerusalem.
God protected Ezra and his people supernaturally from every harm and danger.

There, by the Ahava Canal. I proclaimed a fast, so that we might humble ourselves before our God and ask Him for a safe journey and our children, with all our possessions.
I was ashamed to ask the king for soldiers and horsemen to protect us from enemies on the road, because we had told the king, "The good hand of our God is on everyone who looks to Him, but His great anger is against all who forsake Him."
So we FASTED and petitioned our God about this, and He answered our prayer.
(Ezra 8:21-23)

During the period of their exile in Jerusalem, at one time all the Jews in Persia were sentenced by law for mass extermination by Haman (Esther 3:8-15).
Haman was the highest court official in the king's court at that time.
He was a descendant of the Amalekites, and an enemy of Jews.
He had issued a decree in the name of the king to have all the Jews killed on a certain day.

However, when Queen Esther, a Jew, heard about this, she and her maids went on a three day fast without food and water.
Mordecai, her cousin, also gathered with all the Jews in Susa, the capital city, to fast and pray for the same period of time (Esther 4:15-16).

Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: "Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and FAST for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I an my maids will FAST as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish."
(Esther 4:15-16)

The course of events then changed dramatically.
Haman and his sons were hanged and the Jews were given the freedom to defend themselves and destroy their enemies by the king's new decree.
God gave them a mighty victory throughout the nation of Persia (Ester 9:1-17).

In order for our fasting and prayer to be fruitful, God has ordained a few rules.
If we do not fast according to God's will, our fasting is in vain.
Otherwise, our fasting becomes a big hypocritical act that is a total waste of time and energy.
We will deceive no one, only ourselves.

When we fast for personal reasons, we must not publicize it.
Neither should we put on an unkempt and disheveled appearance to let others know that we are fasting.
Fasting must be done in secret.
Otherwise, we defeat the purpose of the fast.
We will not receive our reward (Matthew 6:1, 16-18).

Be careful not to do your "acts of righteousness" before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your father in heaven.

When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
(Matthew 6:1, 16-18)

When we publicize our fast, we are indirectly telling others:
"See how holy I am, I am able to fast for God."
"See the good works I am doing for God."
"Nobody is fasting like me, I am special."
"See how humble I am, everybody knows I fast three times a week."

This is the attitude of a hypocrite.
To fast is to humble ourselves.
Instead, when we boast about our fast, we are being proud of our self-righteousness.
We are defeating the very purpose of our fast by our boasting.
This is disgusting to God and men.
Never let people know when you are fasting in private.

We fast and pray in order to build God's kingdom on earth.

In Isaiah 58:6-7, 10 God wants us to fast with the following motives:

In other words, we fast in order that righteousness might prevail in our family, in others, in our work-place, in our government, and in our nation.
We fast in order to see others healed and set free from demonic yoke.

We also fast so that God may cause us to walk in greater love for others.
We fast so that we will receive more of God's compassion for the lost, the hungry, the poor, the naked and the needy (Isaiah 58:6-7, 10).

Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:
     to loose the chain of injustice
          and untie the cords of the yoke,
     to set the oppressed free
          and break every yoke?

Is it not to share your food with the hungry
     and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter -
when you see the naked, to clothe him,
     and not turn away from your own flesh and blood?
(Isaiah 58:6-7)

When we fast with godly motives, to build God's kingdom and righteousness, God will always answer us.
However, if we fast and pray for selfish motives, God will not hear us.
If we fast to destroy others, if we fast to build up our reputation, if we fast to bost our ego and pride, God will not hear us.

When we fast, we must not walk in sin and wickedness.
Instead, we must repent and turn from all evil.
Otherwise God will not hear us (Isaiah 58:3-4; 2 Chronicles 7:14).

Fasting does not change the character of God.
God is not moved when we fast with sin in our lives.
Fasting is a time to humble ourselves in repentance from every sin.

IF my people, who are called by my name, will HUMBLE themselves and PRAY and seek my face and TURN from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.
(2 Chronicles 7:14)

In fact, if we continue to sin, we will continue to suffer the judgments of God.
Fasting and prayer will not move God unless we repent.

This was what God told the rebellious Israelites through the prophet Isaiah:

"Why have we fasted," they say,,
    "and You have not seen it?
Why have we humbled ourselves,
    and You have not notice?"

Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please
    and exploit all your workers.
Your fasting ends in quarreling  and strife,
    and in striking each other with wicked fists.
You cannot fast as you do today
    and expect you voice to be heard on high.
(Isaiah 58:3-4)

When we fast and pray on behalf of others, God will bless us personally in return.
We will receive God's anointing, healing, protection, answers to prayer, deliverance, divine guidance, provision, physical strength, refreshing, revival and restoration.

Then your light will break forth like the dawn,
     and your healing will quickly appear;
then your righteousness will go before you,
     and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.
Then you will call, and the Lord will answer;
     you will cry for help, and He will say: Here am I.

If you do away with the yoke of oppression,
     with the pointing finger and malicious talk,
and if you spend yourselves on behalf of the hungry
     and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,
then your light will rise in the darkness,
     and your night will become like the noonday.

The Lord will guide you always,
     he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land,
     and will strengthen your frame.
You will be like a well-watered garden,
     like a spring whose water never fail.
Your people will rebuild ancient ruins
     and will raise up the age-old foundations;
you will be called Repairers of Broken Walls,
     Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.
(Isaiah 58:8-12) 

Your thought

Ask God to teach you to fast and pray: