Hours of fast
How the fast works
Time zone issues
Fasting and your health
We have set aside Friday, February 1st for our united day of fasting and prayer for Adam. The exact starting and ending times are up to each individual participate. Here are a few suggestions:
36-Hour Fast — This is fast that many of us pursue. Generally speaking, your last meal (before fast begins) is Thursday evening, and you resume eating on Saturday morning. It probably won't be exactly 36 hours for most of us.
If you finished dinner at 7:00 p.m. Thursday evening, 36 hours later would be 7:00 a.m. Saturday morning. Don't worry about counting hours. It is the basic concept of not eating anything on Friday. Personally, I might eat a very late lunch, or a very early dinner, so that I am transitioning into fasting prior to bedtime.
24-Hour Fast — Another approach is a sunset-to-sunset fast. The concept is that you do not eat anything after sunset on Thursday evening. You resume eating after sunset on Friday evening. An alternative is a sunrise-to-sunrise fast. You don't eat anything after sunrise on Friday morning, and resume eating after sunrise on Saturday.
The 24-hour fast might be appropriate for first-time fasters that are apprehensive about "going all day" without eating. Or, it might be a choice for those with certain health concerns.
Partial or Alternative Fast — If your health prevents you from fasting, perhaps you can skip a meal or two, or skip other activities (read about fasting alternatives).
Remember, the key is that we want to declare our dependence on God, and generate extra time to spend in prayer for Adam.
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There are no real rules to follow during a day of prayer and fasting, other than we pray, and don't eat!
We want to pray as much as possible. For some of you, this will not be a problem. For others, it may be more challenging. Don't worry. Simply begin praying by asking God to help you communicate with Him throughout the fast. Ask that the Holy Spirit would give you the words to speak to God.
If there are times you feel as if you should be praying, but don't know what to say, stop. Meditate on Jesus. The sacrifice He made for us all. Think about Adam. Think about his family. Listen for a prodding from the Holy Spirit. While your waiting, read your Bible.
We will all be going about this a bit differently. That's OK. However, to unite us, there will be posts made to this website at intervals throughout the day:
- Thursday evening (eve of fasting)
- Breakfast
- Lunch
- Dinner
- Evening
- Saturday Morning (fast ends)
You are invited to comment on these posts. Your comments do not have to be directly related to the post. Just share your thoughts and experiences with the rest of us. Share a scripture that is speaking to you. If you have something more than a short comment, email it to me, and I will post it as an article.
Devotionals will be posted that are intended to be read at specific times throughout our fasting experience. For example there will be an "Eve of Fasting" post on Thursday night that is intended to be an after-dinner article. However, "after dinner" in North Carolina might be "lunch time" time in Honolulu.
After careful consideration, the articles that are intended for specific times will be somewhat targeted to the Eastern Time Zone. First, that is where Adam lives, and this blog is for him. Second, it makes more sense for a post to show up "too early" rather than "too late."
I am assuming that if you live in Washington state, and it is 9:00 a.m., you can wait three hours to click on Friday's "Lunch Time" article. :-)
It is recommended that you always consult your physician prior to beginning any type of fast. If you are poor in health or have concerns about your physical ability to fast, we especially urge you to consult a physician before beginning your fast.
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