Day 27 - Nehemiah 1:4

A Fasted Journey for Spiritual Renewal

Day 27

“As soon as I heard these words I sat down and wept and mourned for days, and I continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven.” -Nehemiah 1:4

In the beginning of Nehemiah some disturbing news is brought to him. Some of the Jews had returned to their land, but it was in disrepair. The wall was broken down and the gates were burned leaving it indefensible. The people were working on repairing it but it was slow going. Nehemiah, although living amongst a pagan society, had risen to a place of prominence. Seems to often be the case that there is a remnant even in high positions. He was cupbearer to the king, Artaxerxes.

Once Nehemiah received this distressing information, he immediately took it the Lord in prayer. As part of his mournful prayer, he fasted. Again, we see this theme of mourning, prayer, and fasting. It is extremely common as has been seen over the last 27 days. Once more, fasting is not a requirement. Even for Nehemiah it was not required here. He chose to do it, or was so distraught that he simply had no appetite during this period of fasted prayer.

Nehemiah knew he could not fix the dire circumstances of his people who had returned to Judah on his own. He knew the only way was to go to God in prayer. Nehemiah offers up a beautiful, heartfelt, repentant, humble prayer to the Lord (Nehemiah 1:5-11). He recognizes the all-powerful attribute of God. He recognizes God’s covenantal relationship with the people of Israel. He recognizes God’s sovereignty. He recognizes God’s majesty. He recognizes his sin, the sin of his house, and the sin of the people. It is a wonderful prayer, and a great model of prayer for us; even for today.

In his prayer, Nehemiah submitted to God. He submitted on behalf of himself and the people recognizing that he, and they, are God’s servants. This is yet another theme often associated with fasted prayer. Repentance. Not only genuine repentance of our own sin, but that of the sins of our nation. Our own nation continues to turn evil for good and good for evil. We can, should, and must repent on behalf of our nation. Pray for our nation, and I believe, humble ourselves and engage in fasted, repentant prayer as Nehemiah and others did for theirs.

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When we lived in Kansas I used to do OMAD (one meal a day) pretty often. That was more for health reasons than anything else. There were a few times I went longer without food. But I don’t think ever longer than 48 hours or so.

When I drove to Virginia on September 25, 2022, the last meal I had was dinner. Maybe around 6pm. I didn’t eat breakfast the next day. Simply headed from the hotel to my new unit…well, the new unit I thought I was heading to. I didn’t eat until around 7pm on September 27th. I simply wasn’t hungry. I was praying a lot, but also driving a lot and talking on the phone a lot. I only ate then because I thought I should. Like Nehemiah, I was distraught. But, it was only about my own circumstances. Not really further outside of that. I still think that reasonable considering the circumstances I was thrust into by a wicked government.

It is one of the only times I can think of where I just didn’t have an appetite at all. Looking back, I think that, in part, it is a physiological reaction we have when under tremendous stress, grief, pressure, and a few other extreme things that may happen in life. I think God made us that way on purpose in order to draw us to Him. I think we have lost that recognition. This is a rather new thought process for me as I have persisted on this fast. When looking at many of the examples of Biblical fasting, it is clear that these extreme circumstances thrust these men into fasted prayer. They all seem to have been able to recognize the need for the union of a fast with deep prayer. That doesn't often seem to be the case in our era; I believe, to our detriment.

I am not a medical professional. This journal is about my spiritual path and about that which the Lord has placed on me. This is not medical advice, nor was this fast done for any medical purpose. If you have a medical interest, seek medical advice. If you have particular health concerns, seek medical advice and/or conduct your own research. Any fasting advice, effects, realizations or anything else related to my fast come from my personal reflection and experience. If you are considering fasting, consulting with a healthcare provider may be appropriate for you.