Day 17 - Isaiah 61 Fast

My favorite person in the world has written an encouraging word for us as we near the half way mark of the fast. I was also encouraged again this morning by a vision of Jesus brilliantly dancing over Boston this morning; it brought a great sense of peace. I am also excited to realize that the JHOP Worship and Prayer Night is at exactly the half-way point of the fast; I believe we are at a tipping point!

From Betsy Hill:

“For all of them were trying to frighten us, thinking, ‘They will become discouraged with the work and it will not be done.’ But now, O God, strengthen my hands.”

This is taken from Nehemiah 6:9 in the context of the scattered Israelites coming together and rebuilding the destroyed walls of Jerusalem. Their adversaries were trying to sabotage their plans by words of discouragement and by force. But Nehemiah knew better than to grow discouraged and believe false reports. They hired false prophets to come and say things that would make him afraid, but he perceived rightly from the Lord that the enemy had sent them, not God.

The result? “So the wall was completed on the twenty-fifth day of the month Elul, in fifty-two days. When all our enemies heard of it, and all the nations surrounding us saw it, they lost their confidence; for they recognized that this work had been accomplished with the help of our God.” (Neh 6:15-16). God used them, despite the odds, to rebuild the wall. He even provided supplies for their work from those who didn’t worship God. The plans of the Lord were victorious!

On my way to prayer on Monday, I was focusing on how no temptation has come against us that Christ Himself has not first endured. This includes discouragement. Maybe you find yourself encouraged and this doesn’t appeal to you, but maybe the circumstances the enemy sent to frighten you or fill you with discouragement took a little ground in your heart. Maybe you are tempted to believe the report that the work we have begun won’t come to completion. I just felt compelled to send out the encouragement that even Christ Himself may have been tired of fasting during His forty days in the desert. We know from scripture that at the very least, He was hungry (Luke 4). But we know He held out and by faith spoke against Satan on the fortieth day despite his fleshly hunger.

So may we each be like Nehemiah and believe God, not circumstances, and pray to our God to strengthen our hands for the work He is doing! And may we remember that Jesus too got hungry and be filled with faith to hold strong because we know that victory is coming!! (The angels, after all, did come to wait on Him after He resisted Satan.) Stay up and be filled with faith! Rejoice, we’re moving forward and taking ground daily!!