Matt 9:14-16
Then the disciples of John came to Him, saying, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but Your disciples do not fast?” And Jesus said to them, “Can the friends of the bridegroom mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast.
Jesus used this strong figure of speech or rather phrase because he was talking about his death, which is still a mystery to his disciples and the disciples of John and they don't understand it yet, that the word “taken away” means his death. What if death didn't occur or something tragic don't occur, they will not fast.
Why was Jesus saying it like that to John's disciples that come to question him about his disciples not fasting? He was trying to tell them, that look, they will not fast now that he is around with them and they will be seeing fasting as unnecessary stress until something tragic will happen. Then they will be compelled to fast.
Now, they are not seeing it as something necessary, but as something inconveniencing or people that are doing it don't like to eat, or they want to watch their weight, or punish themselves. They never knew, it was a thing that should be part of them.
But because, they were with Jesus, who had already done 40 days and 40 nights fasting before starting his ministry, his grace has covered them and they felt that they don't need to go through that inconveniences anyone. If you check from Matt chapter 4 from vs 23 that Jesus started his miracles healing people, the disciple then sees it as an easy task that doesn't need fasting at all. They saw it as what our master can do, so they don't need to do anything because, with the master, all things are possible and easy.
And it was true when sick people came, he heals them from every disease, vs 23 when the leper came and said “Lord if you are willing, you can make me clean” and Jesus reaches his hand and touch him and said, “I am willing” be clean”. Immediately he was cured, of his leprosy. So the disciples saw all that as a non-herculean task, they never knew that Jesus paid dearly for that miracle to manifest. Same Matt 8:1-4.
Then came the centurion asking Jesus for his help over his servant who lies at home paralysed and in terrible suffering. And Jesus said he will go and heal him but the man said no! just say a word and my servant will be healed, undermining Jesus was astonished by the man's faith but he said the word and the man were healed at that very hour. Another easy miracle was seen by the disciples. Vs 5:13.
When they went to Peter's house and the mother In-law was sick, Jesus touch her hand and the fever left her, even Peter's mother-in-law miracles attracted many people that were practically sick and demon-possessed and He healed all of them. Vs 14-16 is another miracle seen by the disciples as an effortless process.
When they were also confronted by the storm, (Matt 8:23-27) they went to call Jesus and even woke him up from his sleep saying Lord save us we are perishing and he came, raise his hands to the storm and it calms down. all they were doing was just to wonder what manner of man is he. Another miracle was seen by the disciple just by raising his hand and a great storm calms down.
Another one is the deliverance of the two demon-possessed men coming from the tomb to meet him and their case was really hard because the bible described them and violent men and because of them nobody could pass that way. Meaning, if that way is the way that leads to someone's breakthrough and those two violent men are blocking the road because of the demons inside them that had made them very violent. That means no breakthrough for those that need to pass that road to breakthrough. All of these will remain stagnant and standstill till Jesus came and thank God, he did come to liberate those men and make the road free and easy assess for people to pass for their breakthroughs.
They saw how Jesus delivered those two men by commanding the demons to go into the pigs. Also to them is a normal thing.
Another scenario, was when a paralytic man was brought to Jesus for healing lying on a mat, and Jesus said to him, your sins are forgiven pick up your mat and walk. And the man got up and went home. Another effortless miracle was witnessed by them. To them, our master can do all things and he can just do it without stress. They didn't know or remember that Jesus had already combated with the Devil himself before he can just be performing these miracles with ease.
Probably John's disciples have been observing them from (Matt chapter 4 to chapter 9 vs15) and couldn't bear it anyone and they were forced to come to Jesus and question him about his disciple's nonchalant behaviour towards fasting. Jesus had to tell John's disciples that the bridegroom is taken away it is then, they will fast. What Jesus meant about when the bridegroom be taken away then the disciples will fast, it means until something precious has been taken away from them until something happens, then His disciples will not fast.
And it was true, not until Jesus was brutally killed (Matt 27) before their eyes, and persecution started coming after them. That is when they started praying to the extent they have to gather in the upper room and the Holy Spirit then came to enable them.
This is how it is, to most of us Christians now, when things are going too well and smooth, we don't fast and pray, we feel that it is not necessary, that life is a bed of roses. We ignore signals until our bridegroom, bride, sister, brother, uncle, child/children, or something so dear to us be taken away from us and by then we will be saying “had I know”, some people wait until something terrible has happened before they start praying when then can actually avert it by fasting and prayer. Some of us were burning with fire when we were in Africa, but when we came abroad and saw most of the things we add to our prayer points can easily be gotten without prayers and we started dwindling in our prayer lives UNTIL SOMETHING HAPPENS, THEN WE STARTED FASTING AND PRAYING.
Some of the things that propel us to pray might be a tragedy or non-tragedy issues, but something had actually happened before we then remember and say oh, I ought to pray about this before! But then, it has happened and we are in pain or in the loss. I encourage anyone reading the article to set out time to fast and pray for yourself and your families, no matter how good you are, there are enemies around you, directly or indirectly. And some of them if they don't see you in tears no will not have peace, they just want you to be in pain(s), agony, and in severe torture.
So, that is why you ought to fast and pray always, do not wait until your pastor or your bishop or your prophet give you prayer and fasting before you start doing something for yourself or your family.
I have been fasting before, but ever since I discovered the deep importance of fasting, I started fasting 70 days every year since 2012 till present, even while pregnant, breast-feeding or even sick, at times my husband will be begging me to take it easy and at least break it while am sick and continue later, not that I enjoyed doing it, but I was busy enjoying Europe when my husband brought me in 2007, while the enemies were busy attacking my marriage. God has to open my eyes to see a mountain of fire book and I started reading it and, decided to do the prayers and fasting as instructed in that book, when I started, that night, I had a dream that a man was warning me in that dream if I do not stop reading that book and praying that kinds of prayers he will deal with me, I ignored that treat and continue to pray and today, am alive to see the goodness of the lord in my life.
At times, I go the extra mile to fast for 100 days, I could remember one day, someone gave me something to eat in church and I said “no thank you” and the person was kind of insisting, and I told her, am fasting and she said “fasting” ok, and she went further to ask me, how many days are you fasting “I said” 70 days and she went on saying how can you fast for 70 days, how many days did Jesus fasted even Jesus did not fast for 70 days. I ignored her and continued reading my bible, I was asked to say the closing prayers at that meeting that day I prayed and we went home.
The next week in church, she came to me and took me to a corner and asked me to teach her how to pray, that there was a way I prayed with the book of Ezekiel chapter 9 that she wants to pray like that, that she lost somebody to the cold hand of death that week and the person was a pastor. What was her story all about, until something happens, then they will pray. In fact that week everybody was anointed in the church and week, things began to be different because the bridegroom has been taken away, and then they began to pray and fast.
When you fast and pray, you unlock your potentials, when you fast and pray you debacle, some certain havoc the enemies have planned against you. When you fast and pray, God will reveal to you, things that will happen in the future. When you fast and pray, your dreams become revelations, although they will attack you, but, God will not allow them to overwhelm you. (For thus says the Lord, in the book of Isa 43: 2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned. Nor shall the flame scorch you).
Am not trying to exaggerate, a few years ago God told me, daughter, I will start blessing you because you have paid the price. Am not surprised when people just favoured me even without me asking for it, because I don't wait for something to happen to me again before I go on my knees and pray about it for God to answer.
Many years ago, that I will fast and be looking for a strong man of God to close the fasting for me, then I was still in Spain, so I called one pastor here in Uk and explain to him that I am about to finish my yearly 70 days fasting, that I would like him to close the fasting for me. He asked me, how many days? and I told him 70 days and he was perplexed and asked if I am a pastor, I said no, that am just doing it because of battles around me he said even him can't do 70 days fasting. But am the one wearing the shoes and I know where it pinches me, to cut the long story short he agreed and the day came for me to close the fasting and I called him, as he was praying for me, he pulsed and ask me, are you the first child? “I said no,” he said, am seeing too many battles around you, “are you sure you are not the first child”? “I said no” and he said God! am seeing too many battles around you, you need to pray hard, you need to pray hard. Are you seeing that he is the one advising me to pray hard while he was praying for me on the phone!
May God encourage you to fast and pray always, so that the enemies will not take away your bridegroom ( precious ones/things) from you untimely before you will fast and pray.
Prayer Points:
- May tragedy not happen to me before I pray in Jesus name
- Oh God, give me the grace to fast and pray always in Jesus' name.
- My bridegroom (precious things or one) will not be taken from me before I pray.
###TheWordofGodwithCelinaJoseph###
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