21 Days of Prayer and Fasting - Day 20

COMPLETION

Philippians 1:6 And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.

The practices of prayer and fasting do not make us complete, but they remind us of the work of completion that Jesus is doing in us. That is why patterning our lives with these practices is so powerful. We are reminded that Jesus does all of the heavy lifting, rescuing, delivering, and sanctifying. We are invited to participate in this work of completion, and prayer and fasting brings that into view. Here’s what these practices will help us continue to see:

They help us see how we are being completed.

Abstaining from things that deform us from Christlikeness, and engaging with habits that help form us into Christlikeness; is a pattern that God works through to change us from the inside-out. It is the pattern of taking off the old, and putting on the new.

They help us understand that our transformation involves our participation.

While our evangelical, protestant understanding of Christianity has been helpful to emphasize “by grace through faith” regarding salvation; we sometimes have been lacking in emphasizing that we are active participants in the process of change to become more like Jesus. This transformation is the process of “sanctification” in which we are active participants in and partners with the Holy Spirit who empowers us to be changed.

They help us grow in our confidence in God.

The process of completion is held together not by ourselves but by God. The process is enjoyable because God’s promise is good throughout the process. So, the more that we lean into the process, the more we see God’s faithfulness, and we increase in confidence that God will complete us.

REFLECTION

Take a moment to reflect on the good work that God is doing in you.

How is your confidence in God growing during these 21 days?

How might you continue to cultivate this?