One Desire Fast is HMCC’s annual fast so we can start off the year hearing from God, both individually and as a church. This year’s theme is Witness.
Scroll down to download Editable PDF version and Spotify Audio version
Read Psalm 46
Do you find yourself constantly finding the next thing to do or thinking that you should be doing more? Go ahead, try it now. Set a timer, and for 1 minute, sit completely still.
Was it hard to not move a muscle or scratch an itch? Even if you were able to physically be still, chances are your mind might’ve been racing, worried about the next deadline, meeting, conflict, meal, or decision. Our culture tells us “more is better”. We often load our schedules until we burn ourselves out. No wonder why our generation struggles greatly with mental illness, exhaustion, emptiness, and loneliness. And it is no wonder that living the life that God wants us to live is the opposite, being still and admitting that perhaps less is actually more. In fact, God wants to be our strength and portion forever (Psalm 73:26) – He wants us to be depend on Him no matter what we’re going through.
Psalm 46:10 commands us to “be still,” and calls us to know that He is God. Lack of stillness shows we do not submit to the God of the Bible, but that we think that we are god. Lack of stillness is really pride in disguise. The command to “be still” forces us to humble ourselves and admit our weakness and limitation, that we can turn to God as the only one who is unlimited and worthy of our stillness.
Psalm 107:28-29 recounts how God “delivered them from their distress. He made the storm “be still.” When the disciples were afraid of drowning, Jesus rebuked the storm by saying “Peace! Be still!” (Mark 4:39). Perhaps Jesus wasn’t simply referring to the wind, but saying that maybe we also ought to learn to be still and think about His greatness and wonder of who He is.
If there’s anything we ought to be still about, it should be God sending His own son to die on the cross, so that we could know what unconditional love is. It is amazing that Jesus himself obeyed, by being still on the cross, so that we could learn to follow in his footsteps. No matter what you are going through or how restless you might feel, choose to be still and trust God instead!
Reflection and Application
- Why do you think humans tend to take matters into their own hands and not surrender? What are you praying to surrender to God through this fast?
- Set aside time (5-10 minutes) to be still with God. Pinpoint what is hindering you to be still and what are some truths of who God is that can remind you to be still?
Prayer Requests for PolyU
- Pray for growth in our personal relationship with God in 2023
- Pray for a deeper hunger to love God and love people
- Pray for 4 new committed sisters in each LG
Please refer to below links for Editable PDF version and Spotify Audio version:
Subscribe for daily emails on this devotional here