293 – No Waffles Today

April 24, 1988

I felt like I heard the word ‘fast’ as I was coming down the stairs to breakfast. I tried hurriedly to eat a waffle. Every bite got ‘stuck’ in my throat, and then it was hard to swallow! I gave in and hurried upstairs to lay on the bed to rest and to listen.

I spoke to Dan, sensing that I felt the Lord was saying to do an extended fasting and prayer season in order to hear what He had to say about the next few years in our preparation to go to Japan.  A friend had given me a book, Your Appointment With God, by Gwen Shaw. I began reading it and began to have a great desire to fast and to get closer to My Father, to be able to love the unlovely, and to be set free of the bands of wickedness, to be free of the burdensome yoke on me. I was not experiencing any anxiety about fasting, which was further confirmation that this was of the Spirit and not of the flesh.

Dan was VERY interested.

I wanted to stay home from church and continue reading the book and pray. But instead I asked God to speak more to me at church.

We were now attending a church in our village, Livonia Community, that was up the street and that we walked to on non-icy Sundays.

Pastor Davis spoke on spiritual warfare and took us to Daniel 10:11-12. Of course, the idea of a Daniel fast came to my mind which confirmed my desire to fast 21 days. Praise God.

Dan was in full agreement and we prayed. I whizzed up some vegetables and we had some soup and this became the first day of our fast.

Is this not the fast that I have chosen: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, to let the oppressed go free, and that you break every yoke? Is it no to share your bread with the hungry, and that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out…. Isaiah 58:6-7a

Then your light shall break forth like the morning, your healing shall spring forth speedily, and your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard. Then shall you call, and the Lord will answer; You shall cry, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’ Isaiah 58: 8-9

That was what we wanted: every yoke broken…and ANSWERS to our cries.