Believers' Prayer Meeting withThe Saint | R 16 W 1 D 2.

Welcome to The Upper Room. So glad to have you here, as always.

Happy Twenty-Eighth Day of the Lenten Season.

We continue with our meditations in The Book of Daniel. We are on verses 2 and 3 of Chapter 10, The Daniel Fast. It reads,

"In those days I, Daniel, was mourning for three full weeks. I ate no pleasant food, no meat or wine came into my mouth, nor did I anoint myself at all, till three whole weeks were fulfilled."

We continue with our meditations and discussion on "A Fasted Life" as compared with "Intermittent Fasting," as we dissect Isaiah 58. We move to verse 6. It reads,

“Is this not the fast that I have chosen:

To loose the bonds of wickedness,

To undo the heavy burdens,

To let the oppressed go free,

And that you break every yoke?"

To undo the heavy burdens:

It sure never fails to amaze me how some (supposed) heavy-duty prayer warriors still manage to keep their tight friendship with fear, anxiety, depression, and the like. The intent of prayer and fasting is "to undo the heavy burdens." If your heavy burden is not being undone, you are not praying and or fasting.

Jesus says, "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28) If you do not have rest, you are not coming. If you are coming, you will have rest. And I see a whole lot of people thinking they are coming but are merely wailing in the outer court.

Child of God, rest is not found in the outer court. Rest is found in the Holy of Holies. That is where the mercy seat is. That is where we meet God. "Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need." (Hebrews 4:16)

He is the one asking us to come. We are not forcing ourselves on Him. He goes as far as to let us know we can come BOLDLY, not pitifully, not religiously, but BOLDLY, as one with rights - sonship rights. For we have access rights.

"Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God." (Romans 5:1-2)

We have access. We are authorized. And we can come into the Holy of Holies just as we are. It is our home, our place of rest. We are not visitors. We are sons and daughters. We are seated there. We have a seat at the table. We are recognized. We are owned. We can enter into God. We can enter into rest. 

So, when we fast, we shed off every weight and drag that holds us back from coming and entering. We shed off that which is disturbing and disquieting our souls. We lay them down at the Master's feet, knowing He can, and will do something about it. 

"He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall, but those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint." (Isaiah 40:29-31)

The Saint.