Hello friends

Ann here and it’s Monday, day one of our fast. I am so looking forward to seeing what God will do among us this week. There is always something exciting that happens.

Now, I woke this morning raring to go. However, I was nervous too. I’m going without food all week, and that's a feat for sure. But we're in it together and I'll keep you posted on how it goes.

This morning I began by sitting in my quiet prayer room. The family were still asleep, and so I opened a blank page in my journal, pen in hand, and said to God, “Our week of fasting is now here. Lord, what do I hope for this week? What shall I be praying for? And, what do I want to fast for with you?” I managed to have a couple of hours of quiet with God. It was beautiful and peaceful.

I jotted down some thoughts in those two hours. One of my main prayers, currently, is for the SUM community’s homes, and for ongoing wisdom personally.

And so, the theme of this week’s fast is going to be prayer for our homes and families. We always do pray for this, but let's do so especially this week.

On that note, today I want to share a little tucked-away story from the Old Testament. It’s from the time of King David when the Ark of the Covenant was brought to Jerusalem. There was a decision to be made about where the Ark of the Covenant would reside, and David was seriously scared about the sheer power of the Ark. His fear had come because someone had died from touching it (2 Samuel 6:6). In the end, someone else -- A man called Obed-Edom -- took the Ark on behalf of the nation, and safely cared for it in a respectful way.

The part that interested me was this:

“The ark of the Lord remained in the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite three months. And the Lord blessed Obed-Edom and all his household.” 2 Samuel 6:11 (NKJV)

My friends, our own care of the Holy presence of God in our homes is not unlike Obed-Edom's care of the Ark of the Covenant, above. And what happened to him was that blessing followed. What an honor it is to welcome God's presence into our homes. What's more, may we approach that task like Obed-Edom did, with reverence, care and due stewardship. This fasting is part of that: It is our way of showing care, love, and reverence to God. 

Indeed, when we welcome the Holy presence of the Lord into our homes, with due respect, awe, and a deep love for Him, I do believe the Lord will bless us and all our household; and this is what we as SUMites are doing. We are the caretakers of faith in our homes.

So today, my friends, perhaps we can pray this prayer:

Lord God, we welcome you into every part of our home and lives.

Lord we welcome your presence into our homes. What an honor that we know you. What an absolute honor!

Help us to be trustworthy, help us to steward the faith you have given us, and help us to safe-keep the faith seed of our families as it sits growing within our homes.

We love you, Lord, with all our hearts, all our souls, all our strength, and we pray in Your Name, our beloved Jesus. Amen.

How are you fasting this week, and what are you hoping for? Let's share in the comments.

All the best with your first day!

Ann