God bless the men and women at the International House of Prayer (IHOP) who have devoted their lives to fasting and praying. And He has. I'm sure of it.
There is a popular phrase that IHOPers use to describe their goal - "the fasted lifestyle." It means to choose a lifestyle of voluntary weakness in order to be more aware of our dependence on God. One of the physiological responses to fasting from food is that it clears your head; you are able to pray without distraction, and to concentrate more intensely than you could if your belly was full. Removing distractions and excesses in life has the same effect. In Kansas City (other pockets have formed all over the world, but Kansas City is the hub), right at this moment, there are hundreds of 20somethings in a renovated stripmall, weeping, worshipping, and praying. There are musicians talented enough to make a life in Nashville who choose instead to lead worship in the middle of the night, singing for all they're worth to an almost empty room and an attentive God. While we were there, there was so little emphasis on individual talent that I never did figure out the name of my favorite musician. He was SO talented, and still, I can only refer to him as the Revelation 4 Guy. It isn't just young adults that have committed to a fasted lifestyle, though. Businessmen arrive at 4 a.m. so they can pray before work; mothers of babies spend naptime in the prayer room, sleeping children in their arms. Kids pray after school, teenagers are there on Friday nights. There are hundreds of people in one room at any given moment, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, worshipping, fasting, and praying. It is an atmosphere that obliterates pretention. We loved it.
I'm excited to know that even though we're here, and they're there, spiritually, we will spend the next few weeks together in corporate prayer. And I'm also curious to see what the God who has orchestrated all of this has up His sleeve.
1 comment:
I have been craving some sort of "fasted lifestyle" for a long time. It is so hard to do in the suburbs. Possible, but difficult. And I usually fail.
And, sometimes, I wonder where the line is. For instance, the Proverbs 31 woman... she wore fine cloth in deep purple. So, is it okay if I focus some attention on how I dress? How I dress is the first thing people will notice about me and my husband likes it when I am dressed well and look good. I try to buy cheaper clothes, however. I don't focus on brand names. I focus on quality and cost. I wait for sales and try to buy things that can be mixed and matched.
I did, last Dec or Jan, decided I was focusing TOO much on clothing. So, I emptied my closets of almost everything and donated the items. The winter stuff went to The Simple Way (where Shane Claiborne is) and the summer stuff went to a local rescue mission. Then, i "fasted" from buying anything fashion related for a few months. I learned a lot about myself in that time.
But now I seem to be blogging in your comments, so I think I will just move on to my blog now. :)
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