Fast and Pray—the two go together, in the Bible, often.
We do well to read all about it, study it, see how it works, and do it.
For one thing, fast and pray does not happen quickly, does not usually bring immediate results.
It is not the time to pray fast and be done.
But fast and pray does matter to God, and He responds—in His time.
But what about pray fast?
I’ll mention two legitimate examples of pray fast in the Bible—very fast—with fast, instant answers from God, with active intervention to save the day.
Nehemiah was cupbearer to king Artaxerxes, and always had a cheerful appearance before the king (just good for business, for your livelihood, for your life). One day Nehemiah was sad when he brought the king his wine, and the king nailed it immediately—why are you sad, because I can tell you are not sick. Nehemiah was scared to death, and told the king he was sad because his beloved Jerusalem was in ruins. The king did not respond in anger, but asked Nehemiah what he wanted. Well, you don’t keep the king waiting at a time like that, before you answer. But the Bible says Nehemiah did a serious pray fast, first.
Nehemiah 2:4-Then the king said to me, “What do you request?” So I prayed to the God of heaven.
And without delay, the next verse:
Nehemiah 2:5-And I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, I ask that you send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers’ tombs, that I may rebuild it.”
Probably another pray fast, waiting for the king’s answer—short wait.
Nehemiah 2:6-So it pleased the king to send me.
Now if you are really interested in knowing Nehemiah’s secret, and his true relationship with God, you must read chapter one of his book in the Bible. It explains how he was prepared for chapter two.
Pray fast in emergencies is great, but it is far greater if preceded by consistent, continual time with God, including fast and pray.
The other individual who had to pray fast in a crisis (an even more desperate emergency than Nehemiah’s) was known to be rash, brash, impulsive—but later became a powerful preacher with amazing results after the Holy Spirit filled him.
When the disciples were about to drown in a really bad storm on the lake, and saw someone walking on the water, at night, they were more scared by the ghost than the storm. Imagine twelve guys screaming out loud in fear, several of them seasoned fishermen on that very lake. Then Jesus identified himself, and Peter asked Jesus to prove it by telling Peter to walk to Him on the water also.
When Jesus said, “Come,” Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus—while the storm was still raging, waves and wind and all. It didn’t take long for a wave to get Peter’s attention away from Jesus, and down he went.
I always wonder if Peter went down at the normal speed of gravity, which would not take very long before he was gone. Now that is definitely a time to pray fast, and he did, “Lord, save me!” And He did!
So Peter and Jesus walked together on the water to the boat and climbed in. Then, and not before, the storm stopped instantly, including the wind and the waves, leaving a glassy calm on the lake, and leaving the disciples more afraid than before, in awe of Who was with them with such power.
We do well to learn the Biblical meaning of the Fear of the Lord.
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