Last night, out of the blue, I started feeling wimpy. I was supposed to teach my Leadership Class at Agape Family Fellowship at 5:00 pm in Albany, but I canceled it five minutes before starting the class. Patty drove me home, and I jumped into bed. I fully expected that I would recover with a good night’s sleep so that I could come to prayer this morning at 5:00 am. But I wasn’t any better, so I stayed in bed all day and am now attending prayer via Zoom. Zoom isn’t as good as in person, but I can hear everybody’s prayer better than when sitting in the room.

I love our “Five Days of Prayer,” I love hearing people’s prayers, their hearts, and concerns, and I especially love the powerful sense of God’s presence with us as we gather together as the church. As I sit in my recliner with my electric heating blanket over me, I try to identify every person who prays from their voice and pray with them in my mind and heart. I figure out who most are.

I made a goal to fast during the five days, and I think it will be easier now that I don’t have to resist all the food that is brought to the prayer time; I have to get Patty to keep the door closed between our bedroom and the kitchen so I don’t smell all the food being prepared for everyone to eat. It is incredible how my sense of smell improves when I am fasting.

Someone asked me why I was fasting during our five days of prayer. I do this for three reasons. The first is because fasting increases our power in prayer with God, and I would like all the power I can get when praying for people’s salvation. The second reason is that fasting is a huge factor in my growth in the character trait of self-control, and I need as much self-control as I can get. The third reason isn’t very spiritual but important to me. I have a goal to lose thirty pounds in the next six months, and fasting should help.