The Power of Fasting in Ministry

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In today's world, the necessity of fasting and prayer is becoming an increasingly indispensable part of our ministry. I think we all notice how attitudes toward the Word of God, parents, society, morality, and ethics are changing for the worse. All the more reason, then, for us to promote and apply the antidote of fasting and prayer in our ministry during these troubled times.

The Apostle Paul writes: “But in everything we commend ourselves as servants of God: in much patience, in afflictions, hardships, distresses, beatings, imprisonments, riots, toils, waking, fasting; in purity, in knowledge, in patience, in kindness, in the Holy Spirit, in sincere love; in the word of truth, in the power of God, with the weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left” (2 Corinthians 6:4-7).

Love for one's neighbor as a driving force

Dear serving brothers and sisters, we see that everyone who serves today, especially in children's ministry, youth groups, or generally in the church, for example as a deacon, elder, or bishop, quickly reaches their limits. We arrive at the point where we can no longer continue in our ministry without fasting and prayer. Here, however, the love we have received from God for our neighbors should show us that we should use fasting and prayer as a means that God provides us with.

Nehemiah learned of the situation in Jerusalem from his brothers and experienced great sorrow in his heart. “When I heard these words, I sat down and wept and mourned for several days; and I fasted and prayed before the God of heaven” (Neh 1:4).

We cannot be indifferent to the condition of our children, young people, or members. It is time for us to increase our fasting and prayer for our loved ones and call upon God. Nehemiah was a prisoner in the castle of Susa. What could he possibly change in Jerusalem from there? He fasted and prayed, and God opened a way through King Artaxerxes, enabling Nehemiah to end the suffering in Jerusalem with God's guidance. This man's love for the people and the result show that God can also miraculously open doors for us in our ministry. The condition is that we strive to live for God and dedicate ourselves to good causes.

God already has a way for you

The example of Esther shows us that God has a plan for every person who serves before Him and is tested by Him. Before the suffering of the Jewish people and their impending extermination became known, God had chosen Esther as queen so that she could later intercede for them. Likewise, none of us who are called into God's service know what our future tasks will be.

We must expect that we will not only have tasks, but also a great responsibility. Queen Esther knew what it could mean if she went uninvited to the powerful King Ahasuerus: it could cost her her life. Therefore, the idea of appearing before the king unannounced was certainly a terrifying prospect for her. At that time, the law stipulated that appearing uninvited before the king could be punished by death—if the king showed no mercy. In the worst-case scenario, Esther might not even have been able to present her plight for the Jewish people to the king.

From a human perspective, it would have been a senseless martyrdom. Mordecai spoke the following words to Queen Esther: “Do not think in your heart that you will escape from all the Jews because you are in the king’s house! For if you remain silent now, deliverance and salvation for the Jews will come from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows whether you did not come to the kingdom precisely for a time like this?” (Esther 4:12-14).

The decision Queen Esther had to make was very difficult. But God requires that in our service we bear the dignity the Lord bestows upon us. The queen understood that there was no other way out for her. She proclaimed a three-day fast and placed her life in God's hands. The power of fasting and prayer made Esther a savior for the Jewish people. We, too, may bring the difficulties and problems in our service to the Lord Jesus through fasting and prayer. He will accomplish what we cannot do on our own.

Prayer combined with fasting

Some men of God whom I had the privilege of knowing in my life, and who are no longer with us, were Brother Jakob Wiebe and my father, Edwin Eggert. They were brothers who constantly brought their needs before God through fasting and prayer, and through whom the Lord worked powerfully in their ministry. In our church, we often encounter difficulties where we can be a blessing to our children, youth group, or church members with our advice and practical help. But there are also tasks that we can only face through fasting and prayer, in order to support our loved ones in times of great hardship.

In our church lives a dear sister whom my father (Brother Edwin) and I know very well. She suddenly fell into a deep depression and was in a very difficult spiritual state. We often visited her in the psychiatric hospital and talked and prayed with her a lot. Her condition worsened day by day. At this point, our human advice, which we could also offer in a biblical sense, had reached its limit. My father said to me, "Paul, I've been a church leader for so long, but I've never experienced anything like this." We were very desperate, and then my father said, "The only thing that can help now is fasting." So we, along with the relatives, decided to fast and pray for her. I will never forget this event. Within a few days, the power of fasting and prayer manifested itself. The sister later told us herself how she experienced healing at that very moment. Before she was healed, the devil had pulled every string he could and driven her to the point of taking an overdose of pills. She wanted to end her life. But the Lord heard the prayers and saw the fasting, and preserved her life and healed her. That very Friday, at approximately 10:00 p.m., my father and I had agreed that we would each pray in our own place to mark the end of the fast. In prayer, we both felt a great power, and our sister was healed that Friday. This experience has given me a profound understanding of how powerful fasting and prayer are in our ministry.

In some situations, we find that our human wisdom or abilities are insufficient. Faith is lacking. The Lord shows us how dependent we are on Him when we come to Him in fasting and prayer. He helps us in our ministry, especially in times of severe spiritual distress. The disciples could not free the boy suffering from epilepsy, so Jesus said that only prayer and fasting could help.

In the Gospel of Matthew we read: “But this kind does not come out except by prayer and fasting” (Mt 17:21). The disciples could not heal the boy suffering from epilepsy. It is important for us that in our service we place everything at the Lord's disposal: spirit, soul, and body should willingly work for the Lord. Dear brothers and sisters, our bodies are also involved in our service. It is important that we do not practice a formal fast, as the Pharisee justified himself to the tax collector: “I fast twice a week and give a tenth” (Lk 18:12).

The right way to fast and its effects

For us, this should be a fast that we begin with a free heart. Isaiah describes the fast that is pleasing to God. First, we must inwardly cleanse ourselves of our sins before God and others, do good, and practice mercy (cf. Isaiah 58:3-6). If we follow this, then our fasting will also have an effect on our ministry. Fasting has often shown me that it brings blessings when performed out of love for the youth group or my neighbors. When we organize outings with the youth group, there are always children with significant problems. Sometimes we talked and prayed late into the night, wondering what would become of these teenagers. We did everything humanly possible—talking, fasting, and praying—and God himself performed miracles for these young people. Today, some of them are themselves youth group leaders, youth leaders, or deacons in our congregations, serving the Lord.

Dear brothers and sisters, who serve the Lord, let us diligently devote ourselves to it and make full use of all the resources the Lord Jesus has provided. Let us love our neighbors, teach them, and pray and fast for them.

Paul Eggert

Municipality of Bremen-Vahr