Day 2 Dependence

Fasting is a humbling experience that reveals who or what we really depend upon or are controlled by.

Scripture reading
Psalm 69:1–36 (NLT)
1Save me, O God, for the floodwaters are up to my neck.
2Deeper and deeper I sink into the mire; I can’t find a foothold. I am in deep water, and the floods overwhelm me.
3I am exhausted from crying for help; my throat is parched. My eyes are swollen with weeping, waiting for my God to help me.
4Those who hate me without cause outnumber the hairs on my head. Many enemies try to destroy me with lies, demanding that I give back what I didn’t steal.
5O God, you know how foolish I am; my sins cannot be hidden from you.
6Don’t let those who trust in you be ashamed because of me, O Sovereign LORD of Heaven’s Armies. Don’t let me cause them to be humiliated, O God of Israel.
7For I endure insults for your sake; humiliation is written all over my face.
8Even my own brothers pretend they don’t know me; they treat me like a stranger.
9Passion for your house has consumed me, and the insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.
10When I weep and fast, they scoff at me.
11When I dress in burlap to show sorrow, they make fun of me.
12I am the favorite topic of town gossip, and all the drunks sing about me.
13But I keep praying to you, LORD, hoping this time you will show me favor. In your unfailing love, O God, answer my prayer with your sure salvation.
14Rescue me from the mud; don’t let me sink any deeper! Save me from those who hate me, and pull me from these deep waters.
15Don’t let the floods overwhelm me, or the deep waters swallow me, or the pit of death devour me.
16Answer my prayers, O LORD, for your unfailing love is wonderful. Take care of me, for your mercy is so plentiful.
17Don’t hide from your servant; answer me quickly, for I am in deep trouble!
18Come and redeem me; free me from my enemies.
19You know of my shame, scorn, and disgrace. You see all that my enemies are doing.
20Their insults have broken my heart, and I am in despair. If only one person would show some pity; if only one would turn and comfort me.
21But instead, they give me poison for food; they offer me sour wine for my thirst.
22Let the bountiful table set before them become a snare and their prosperity become a trap.
23Let their eyes go blind so they cannot see, and make their bodies shake continually.
24Pour out your fury on them; consume them with your burning anger.
25Let their homes become desolate and their tents be deserted.
26To the one you have punished, they add insult to injury; they add to the pain of those you have hurt.
27Pile their sins up high, and don’t let them go free.
28Erase their names from the Book of Life; don’t let them be counted among the righteous.
29I am suffering and in pain. Rescue me, O God, by your saving power.
30Then I will praise God’s name with singing, and I will honor him with thanksgiving.
31For this will please the LORD more than sacrificing cattle, more than presenting a bull with its horns and hooves.
32The humble will see their God at work and be glad. Let all who seek God’s help be encouraged.
33For the LORD hears the cries of the needy; he does not despise his imprisoned people.
34Praise him, O heaven and earth, the seas and all that move in them.
35For God will save Jerusalem and rebuild the towns of Judah. His people will live there and settle in their own land.
36The descendants of those who obey him will inherit the land, and those who love him will live there in safety.

Key passages
Psalm 69:10 — “When I weep and fast…”

Fasting thought
“More than any other single discipline, fasting reveals the things that control us. This is a wonderful benefit to the true disciple who longs to be transformed into the image of Jesus Christ. We cover up what is inside us with food and other good things, but in fasting these things
surface. If pride controls us, it will be revealed almost immediately — anger, bitterness, jealousy, strife, fear. If they are within us, they will surface during fasting. At first we will rationalize that our anger is due to our hunger. Then we know that we are angry because the spirit of anger is within us. We can rejoice in this knowledge because we know that healing is available through the power of Christ.” Richard Foster

Prayer
Father in heaven, as I move through this fast, I seek the transforming work of the gospel in my life. Reveal the controlling influences in my
life. Grant me the courage to face them, to renounce them, to confess them and to surrender them into your healing hands. Draw me closer to you through this fast. In Jesus’ precious name I pray. Amen.

Take a few moment to journal what God had taught you today. Leave a reply below.