21 Days of Prayer and Fasting in 2026
God is doing some amazing things among us during these days. While there are some uncertainties ahead for us at Grove Level, we are absolutely certain of the important things: God is still Lord of all, He still has a plan for each of us and for all of us as a family of believers, and He will let us know that plan and empower us to fulfill it. He simply asks us to be available, faithful and obedient, and Almighty God will walk us into His amazing plan.

I want to challenge you to join me during these 21 Days of Prayer and Fasting as we do three things:
● Let’s choose to live in the Word of God for the next 21 days (January 18-February 8). Take the time of fasting to ask God through prayer to open your heart to Him, to read the Bible so you will know Him better, and to reflect on what God says and what the Holy Spirit speaks into your heart. Let God use His word to feed your soul, mind and heart, Psalm 25:4-5, Deuteronomy 8:3, Matthew 4:4.
● Let’s choose to live out the will of God during these days and the days that follow. As you are praying and reading, ask God to give you clear direction about what He wants you to do, and He promises He will make His will clear to you, Philippians 2:12-13. As the Lord shows you what He wants you to do next, align with Him and allow His Spirit to empower you to do what He tells you to do.
● Let’s choose to live for the work of God the rest of our lives. Our Lord is working in us and around us right now. He gives us the privilege of partnering with Him as He fulfills His plan in the world right now. During this time of setting aside things we enjoy and/or make us comfortable, let’s choose to adjust our priorities so that His work takes priority and His Spirit becomes our power, John 5:5.
When we give ourselves to the Word of God, the will of God and the work of God, He will accomplish His purpose in and through us individually. AND our Father will also work in us corporately. Just like we need “to will and to do for His good pleasure” personally, we need to do that as a church family, too. Pray that we will prioritize His Word, know His will, and exist to do His work.
One of the really important steps for our future is just starting. Please join me in praying for the Pastor Search Committee (Ross Poe, Lisa Brooker, Dillon Clark, Pam Holder, Durwood Knight, Alan Nuckolls and Karli Ralston) as they seek God’s will for the next Senior Pastor at Grove Level. Let me ask you to pray for three things for them:
● Pray for the Lord to direct the members of the committee. Ask the Lord to give them health, strength and wisdom. Pray for there to be unity within the committee and for them to sense God’s confirmation along each step.
● Pray for the Lord to guide them as they make decisions and discuss those decisions. It is easy for miscommunication or misunderstanding to cause confusion and frustration. Ask the Lord to give them clarity as they talk and to confirm His will.
● Pray for the Lord to protect the committee members and their families. God and Grove Level have entrusted them with an important assignment, and the responsibility will require a heavy time commitment. Ask the Lord to protect their health and provide quality time with their families.
How do I fast? Basically, if you can fast, Jesus says you should fast, Matthew 6:17-18. Prayerfully consider HOW God would have you fast.
● Fasting from all food is one way of fasting. This can be a meal a day, a day a week or longer.
●   Fasting from certain foods like a Daniel fast is another way of fasting.
●   Fasting is taking time and focus from something physical (food) and devoting that time to God in prayer for these issues and other issues the Lord brings to your heart.
● If food fasting is not possible, consider replacing a time-consuming daily activity (television, social media, etc.) in your life with a specific and focused prayer time for the areas above during these 21 days.

BASIC FASTING INSTRUCTIONS
Fasting is a biblical expression of pursuing God through extraordinary means. Throughout Scripture we have seen God’s people regularly practice fasting in connection with prayer and repentance either at regularly prescribed times of year or in extreme situations of need. God’s Word clearly tells us that biblical fasting is both expected and effective (Matthew 6:16-18) for God’s people.
Fasting is NOT doing without food; that is dieting. Fasting is sacrificing food as an act of worshiping God and expressing the intensity of desire the believer has to know God and experience His majesty. Fasting is an act of humility. (“Humility is not thinking less of yourself; it is thinking of yourself less.” C.S. Lewis) It is using the pangs of hunger to remind us of the priority place God has in our lives. They remind us to ask some important questions. Why do I not crave God the way I crave food? Why have I conditioned my body to eat at certain times but have not conditioned my spirit to miss God like I miss my meals?
The Bible teaches us that fasting is usually practiced by taking time normally spent eating meals and devoting that time to God in prayer. Fasting from food is something we can choose to do for a brief period of time (generally 24-72 hours). It is very important that a person drink about a gallon of water each day during the fast because dehydration can occur rapidly. All biblical fasts of extended periods were not simply the choice of people. Before undertaking an extended fast (more than 72 hours), a person must be certain God has called him/her to the fast, should prepare her/his body, and needs to consult a physician if there are medications or underlying health issues. Great information about fasting is available at Personal Guide to Fasting
Some fasts are time away from food entirely. However, some fasts are adjustments to our normal diet, like the Daniel Fast found in Daniel 1 and 10, during which a person eats only vegetables, fruit and nuts while abstaining from meat, dairy, bread and sweets. For people with certain physical limitations they may need to drink juices or liquid supplements during the fast. If you want more information about fasting in general go to Fasting as a Christian. If you want a list of foods you can and cannot eat on the Daniel Fast, visit Daniel Fast Food List and Guidelines. For more information about a Daniel fast Daniel Fast. Please note: we are not endorsing some of the information on this website.
If you absolutely cannot fast from food, you could take the time you normally spend doing other things like reading for enjoyment, watching television, or engaging in an activity of leisure and spend that same period of time praying. The key is to take the time you spend on some physical activity to devote it to prayer.
Whether you can fast from food or not, please join us on this fast in some way. We do not want anyone to jeopardize his or her health, but we do want to encourage you to do the most you can as we seek the Lord in these days.

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