Daniel Fast
STUMBLING UPON SPIRITUAL POWER
A 21 Day ‘Daniel Fast’ and Prayer Experiment
FOLLOW-UP TO THE DANIEL FAST
We hope you talked with God a lot during this 21-day experiment, and that your understanding and experience of the wonders of prayer grew.
We wanted to let you know about prayer teams which keep this church running, spiritually speaking. If you’ve found that you’ve taken a liking to prayer during this season, you might consider joining with like-minded others and multiplying the blessing.
Intercession team: This is a team of folks who pray weekly for all things Vineyard: our worship services, our staff, our leaders, and all whom we seek to serve within the church and in the larger community. We pray on site, and we also stay in touch via e-mail for late-breaking prayer needs.
Prayer Ministry Team: Teams of pray-ers are available at every church gathering to pray with folks for their personal concerns. Here are some common prayer requests for which we frequently see God provide immediate guidance and intervention: relational difficulties,
significant decisions, direction, physical sickness, personal loss and family conflicts. Our team captains provide training and supervision to keep our prayer team members growing and those who receive prayer safe and well-cared for.
Healing Rooms Team: The Vineyard participates in the Greater Boston Healing Rooms, a group that provides weekly opportunities for prayer for physical healing. Healing Rooms are frequented by people from throughout the region, some of whom are not church-goers, which is a special privilege. If interested, please e-mail prayer@bostonvineyard.org for more details.
Sunday, 11/1
Kicking-off the fast in our services. During the fast, sermons will offer instruction and inspiration, and we’ll celebrate communion weekly.
Monday, 11/2
Let the fast begin. Kids ’ church selective weeklong fast.
Wednesdays, 11/4, 11/11, & 11/18, 7:30-9 pm
Prayer meetings open to Small Groups & all comers.
Thursdays, 11/5, 11/12, & 11/19, 7:30-9 pm
Prayer meetings open to Small Groups & all comers.
Friday, 11/13, 7-8:30 pm
PZF Encounter Night for Youth, following their weeklong fast.
Saturday, 11/21, 6:30-8 pm
“What’s God been up to?” Worship Celebration. Kids welcome.
Sunday, November 22, 9:30 am & 11:30 am Worship Services
Breaking the fast together.
A season of eating less than I might for the greater purpose of deepening my connection with God and strengthening my own identity as one of His people.
To make space for more of God.
Daniel was among the Israelite people who were taken into captivity in Babylon. As is often the case when one kingdom takes over another, the talented up-and-comers from the defeated kingdom were corraled for special training and indoctrination into the ways of the ruling kingdom.
For Daniel and his friends, this meant the privilege of studying the heights and depths of Babylonian language and literature, as well as being treated to the best food and drink to be had, from the king’s own table. (The only downside is that they were captives being held in Babylon against their wills!)
For Daniel, to eat the king’s food would have violated the kosher dietary practices which were central to his understanding of his identity as one of God’s people. So Daniel shrewdly struck a deal with one of the guards to eat less than what was offered. After 10 days of eating only fruits and vegetables, he and his friends were to be evaluated. If this “experiment” didn’t yield good results, they would agree to eat what was put in front of them.
10 days passed, and the guard found that Daniel and his friends were in better shape than those who ate the king’s food. As the story goes, Daniel and his friends rose to positions of great influence in Babylon, ultimately leading Babylon’s ruler to faith in God.
Daniel’s spiritual influence is closely associated with his choice to abstain from the riches of a powerful culture and to honor God first and foremost.
We too are partakers of a powerful culture which can at times compromise our identity as people of God. Like Daniel, we can choose to abstain from aspects of this culture for a season, for the purpose of spiritual growth and development.
As in the Daniel story, the goal of this fast is not to rail against the surrounding culture, but rather to connect more powerfully with God in order to reengage with that culture with greater spiritual clarity and godly influence.
It’s best during a serious fast to set aside extra time for prayer, as this helps us keep our eyes on the prize: more of God. It can be easy to get overly focused on what we’re fasting from, and miss the point of what we’re fasting for. To consider a Daniel fast as a diet or to become consumed with the particulars of what we can and cannot eat would be to miss the point.
It’s also worth noting that by fasting, we are not trying to make God do something or other. If we are twisting anyone’s arm, it’s our own. Fasting steals attention and focus in order to remind us multiple times a day that Jesus is our daily bread. For this reason, what we choose to fast from should get our attention and feel like a form of sacrifice to us. At the same time, it shouldn’t feel like a punishment.
*We highly discourage nursing moms, growing children, those with significant health restrictions, and those with a history of eating disorders from doing sustained food fasting. Please seek counsel and/or medical advice if you are unsure about what’s a safe and healthy fast for you to try.
THE PURIST:
Some people choose to do the equivalent of a historical Daniel fast – eating only fruits and vegetables, and drinking only water. For most, this is too daunting especially for a 21 day period.
THE AMPLIFIED:
To make it more do-able some choose to add whole grains and protein sources to the fruit and vegetable regimen (avoiding meat and dairy), and including natural juices and herbal teas.
THE A LA CARTE:
Some choose to fashion their own dietary regimen in the spirit of a Daniel fast. Something rigorous, but sustainable in the face of the necessities and challenges of modern life. Some examples include cutting out sweets and desserts or carbs or caffeine.
THE NON-FOOD FAST:
Others for whom food fasting is not recommended can choose to fashion a fast from media or entertainment or a favorite hobby, choosing to devote that time and energy instead to prayer and scripture meditation. (It has come up, and no, you may not fast from chores.)
THIS IS REALLY IMPORTANT!
Don’t do the fast because you feel you should or because someone’s making you do it. Do it because you’d like to give it a try or because you feel the slight nudge in your spirit that there’s something good for you in it.
Similar to how Jesus talks about the sabbath being made for our benefit rather than us being made for benefit of the sabbath, treat the fast as a gift rather than an obligation.
If, for any reason, you’re not up for it, no guilt and no sweat. If you try and you fail, try again. If you attempt something vigorous and it turns out to be too much, don’t be afraid to course correct to something simpler and more sustainable.
If the fast becomes a dreary, religious burden or a competition with others for who’s the holiest, we’d suggest backing away from the ledge.
After 10 days of his fast, it was clear that he and his friends were healthier (and happier) than the others around them. If all goes well, the benefits of your fast will outweigh the costs, even while you’re fasting.
