“He that prays and does not faint will come to recognize that to talk with God is more than to have all prayers granted – that is the end of all prayer.”

George mcdonald, creation, p. 128.

Please read the first blog post entitled “Why Fast?” This explains what fasting is and why we follow Jesus in this spiritual discipline as together we seek the heart of God.

21 Days Devotional Blog (with opt-in text option)

During these 21 days, a devotional will be posted each morning on our “21 Days Blog” on Ascent’s homepage. You can go to the home page each day, or you can text ASCENT21 to the number 97000 to opt-in to receive a daily text reminder with a link to that day’s devotional.

Daily Devotionals

Each day during our 21 Days, we will focus on one part of the ACTS prayer acronym – Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving and Supplication. We will spend between 3-5 days on each part of the ACTS prayer acronym. Each devotion will take less than ten minutes of your time.

1. We will Engage the Word – looking at a passage of Scripture that draws our mind’s attention and heart’s affection to the Lord.
2. We will Connect the Heart – considering a truth that is applicable to our lives.
3. We will Reflect on the Truth, asking a number of questions each day that invite us to look and listen with intent.
4. And we will Depend on the Spirit – We will pray, for it is in praying that we learn to pray. And it is in praying that the Spirit changes our hearts.

We want to encourage you to grab a journal or a notebook – something to write on as you walk through each devotional. Yes, it will add a few minutes to the time it takes to do the devotion, and it will also deepen your experience and shape your walk with God for years to come. This journal or notebook will be a keepsake to remind you of God’s faithfulness during this challenging season for all of us.

Adoration

Engage the Word

Read Psalm 145:14-18 – A Psalm of David

14 The Lord upholds all who are falling 

and raises up all who are bowed down. 

15 The eyes of all look to you, 

and you give them their food at the proper time. 

16 You open your hand; 

you satisfy the desire of every living thing. 

17 The Lord is righteous in all his ways 

and kind in all his works. 

18 The Lord is near to all who call on him, 

to all who call on him in truth. 

This section of Psalm 145 celebrates God who keeps his promises and helps those who are vulnerable (all who fall; all who are bowed down, v. 14). In His providence, He supplies the needs of any who look to him for help (vv. 15–16), though His help and generosity are not reserved only for humans, but for every living thing. “You open your hand” in v. 16 is translated “with open and bountiful hand” (New English Bible) and “with generous hand” (New Jerusalem Bible), more fully describing God’s heart of generosity to us. And it is in His providential timing (v. 15 “at the proper time”) that we must trust, knowing that God knows exactly what we need when we need it. Because of His provision, His providence and His limitless generosity, we can worship and adore Him as a God whose heart is to lavish us with His goodness.

Reflect on the Truth

1. What are some ways that God has shown you that He keeps His promise to provide generously with “bountiful hand” for “every living thing?”
2. Why is it important to remind ourselves often that “The Lord is near to all who call on him?”
3. Take a few moments to meditate on each verse, one at a time. How does this exercise lift your heart toward the praise of God in adoration?

Depend on the Spirit

Ask the Holy Spirit to help you see the deeper longings, desires or motives in your heart that those thoughts are pointing to. (For example: you may write down, “It is certainly a comfort to know cognitively that the Lord is always near – though it sometimes doesn’t seem to match my experience.”) The Lord can help us discern the path forward – through His word, His Spirit, His people.

For Prayer

Today, pray for the Deacon Team of Ascent Church. The Deacons serve the church family through prayer, provision and presence and oversee our care ministry. Pray that they will experience the nearness and the goodness of God as they serve the needs of His people, the Church. The Deacon Team is made up of Randy Wood, John & Sharon Alexander, George Petak, Missy Gamble, Bob & Lisa Bowker and Aaron Kellar.