Wineskins Contributor・12/03/19

There are moments in your lifethat change everything. One of those moments came for our family during a tripto Kenya.

In February 2016, Sydney and I began a friendship with a couple named Muriithi and Carol Wanjau and their three amazing children. I could fill an entire book with stories about this incredible family, but for the sake of time and space, I’ll share just one. The Wanjaus have been positioned by God in Nairobi, Kenya, and they lead one of the most amazing networks of churches we have ever seen. Our friendship with this family began that year when we spent several weeks with them and many of their global leaders who had gathered in Nairobi for a time of training and fellowship.

Sydney and I were blown awayby what we saw during our time there with our Kenyan brothers and sisters.Their love for God, their passion for reaching the lost, and their commitmentto living holy, counter-cultural lives were just a few of the things thatblessed our hearts and challenged our thinking in ways we never expected. Totop it off, the prayer life of our Kenyan brothers and sisters impacted me in aprofound way.

One day, as Sydney and I wereriding to the store with Carol, we were picking her brain about the spiritualvibrancy of their church network. We wanted to know why the Christians in theircircle seemed to be so alive for Jesus. She was quick to remind us that thereare no “silver bullets” when it comes to spiritual development, but she went onto share an important spiritual rhythm that has transformed their churches andcommunity for the better. I will never forget what she said:

“Dave and Sydney, much of what you see here is the simple result of prayer and fasting. We consistently practice the communal act of self-denial [fasting] so we will have the strength and clarity that is needed to live faithfully for Jesus in a culture that is obsessed with self-gratification.”

That moment in the car withCarol is when many of the puzzle pieces began to click in our hearts. Littledid we know that our family had arrived in Kenya on the last day of amonth-long fast that the Wanjaus and their churches lean into every January. Infact, they spend nearly three months out of every year devoted to the Lord inprayer and fasting. Young and old, male and female, rich and poor, children andadults—all who are willing and able—commit themselves to a full-throttledpursuit of God above everything else through prayer and fasting.

The result of that devotionis inspiring to say the least.

I remember leaving Kenyathinking to myself, If that is the kind of faith that prayer andfasting can help produce, then why have I given such little attention to thisparticular dimension of life with God?

I’m convinced there aretimes when God will use someone else’s life to ignite something wonderful andnew inside us. Like a match in the hand of God, their life becomes the sparkfor igniting a new season of wonder and growth deep within us. I often thankGod for our friends in Kenya and the way he used them to ignite a hunger forprayer and fasting in our family and church.

As Ilook back over the scope of Christian history, I realize that what we saw inKenya was not an exception to the rule.

Infact, more often than not, it is the rule.

Youwould be hard-pressed to find any significant movement of God across humanhistory that was not first preceded by a group of faithful men and womencommitted to the Lord in prayer and fasting.

I’mconvinced that the future revival for which we were created is something wecannot acquire through strategic planning, relevant programs, or cleverpreaching alone. No, the revival we long for can only be acquired throughsacrificial praying.

And notjust the casual, half-hearted “pray when it’s convenient” praying to which somany of us have grown accustomed.

Thiskind of future is only realized when the people of God become so collectivelyhomesick for the kingdom of Heaven that we exchange our time, our comforts, ourlives, and even our eating habits for more time in the presence of God.

That iswhy fasting is so important.

Ourfamily came back from our time in Kenya with a deep longing to see our churchbecome a church committed to Jesus through prayer and fasting. In our zeal, wemade lots of mistakes as we sought to help our church family connect with Godthis way. But God is gracious, and what once felt like an impossible longing isslowly but surely becoming our present reality.

Currently,our church family tithes our year in prayer and fasting. In other words, wegive at least ten percent of each year to a communal pursuit of God throughprayer and fasting. As we mentioned earlier, this is by no means a “spiritualsilver bullet,” but we have seen God do more in the last few years than wecould have ever asked or imagined. And not just in our church, but in churchesall across the city and far beyond.

Earlierthis year, more than 400 churches across our city joined with us for 30 days ofprayer and fasting, as together we prayed for every person in our city by name.It was truly remarkable, and we are convinced that God is just getting started!

We areconvinced that nothing will stir up a deeper hunger for God quite like anextended season of prayer and fasting. You don’t have to travel to Kenya oreven Nashville to get a glimpse of this life changing reality. Simply fix youreyes on Jesus, and the incredible witness of Christian history, and then takeyour next step. Start small and stick with it. We are convinced you will beblown away by all that God will do in you and through you for his glory, yourjoy, and the good of those around you!

Tolearn more about our story, and to discover practical ways you can help your churchcreate a culture of prayer and fasting,check out our book Revival Starts Here.