The Ministry of Reconciliation
Deu 9:18-19 And I fell down before Jehovah, as at the first, forty days and forty nights. I neither ate bread nor drank water, because of all your sins which you sinned in doing wickedly in the sight of Jehovah to provoke Him to anger. For I was afraid of the anger and fury with which Jehovah was angry against you to destroy you. But Jehovah listened to me at that time also
Fasting can be done for many reasons. In the above incident Moses fell down before Jehovah and fasted for 40 days and nights a second time, for he was afraid of the anger and fury of Jehovah to destroy them. The first time he fasted for forty days and nights was to receive the tablets from the Lord . When God is angry, somebody has to stand in between God and the people till He relents.
It is the duty of every Christian to stand as a mediator between God and people among whom he lives, works and associates with. Jesus Christ who reconciled us with God has entrusted every Christian an important work – The Ministry of Reconciliation. .
2 Co 5:18 And all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given to us the ministry of reconciliation;
It took so many years for me to understand this truth. When somebody goes wrong, violates the commandments of Jesus, deviates from the path of truth, the first thing we have to do is,
ask pardon for that person and intercede for him to forgive his sins and grant the grace of repentance. Today when I hear of any sad news of killing, rape, robbery, etc in the land, the first thing Holy Spirit guides me into is asking pardon from the Lord for the sins committed.
This should become a habit for us every day in life- Cleansing the land of innocent bloodshed and standing in the gap for people who are used as puppets in the hands of satan.
In the book of Isaiah, we see Israelites fasting to increase the power of their prayer. i. e. to compel the Lord to grant their requests. The Lord condemned such fasting.
Isa 58:4 -5………… you shall not fast as you do today, to make your voice to be heard on high. Is it such a fast that I have chosen? A day for a man to afflict his soul?
We see in Bible incidents also where godly men praying for the land or people to remove the punishment of God from them.
Deu 9:20 And Jehovah was very angry with Aaron to have destroyed him. And I prayed for Aaron also at the same time.
Gen 20:17 -18 And Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech and his wife and his slave women, and they gave birth. For the Lord had closed up all the wombs of the house of Abimelech because of Sarah, Abraham’s wife.
Prayer :
Lord, make us intercessors for our land and for the nations. Amen.
Sr. Angelica AOJ