This January we as a church body are purposing to enter into a week of prayer and fasting at the end of the month.

We fast as a offering unto the Lord to clear the spaces in our lives that other items might take up, as a discipline to humble ourselves and focus on God's voice. We pray with increased intention during this time, expecting to better hear God's revelation for us as individuals in this year, his heart for our church in this season and align ourselves with His great will and perfect plan. Here's a helpful link in fasting and prayer.

As we begin 2012, we share anticipation in the “new things,” that a new year brings. Equally so, it may be difficult to recognize what God’s presence and purpose look like as life begins to steam roll ahead...which is why we want to encourage everyone to set aside January 23-29, for prayer and fasting. There are many things we could individually and collectively share with the Lord during that time. We want to pray to give a godly bent to our thoughts and plans for the year ahead.

An increasing number of Christians in America, in California, and in Sonoma County, are sensing the need to spend more time seeking the Lord. We want to pray because we sense this same need and call to prayer that others are sensing.

Many people are feeling the pinch of tougher economic times, growing concerns for their marriages and families, and an overall sense of unease that things are changing in the world and perhaps not for the better. We want to pray because we want to have hope, not anxiety.

God is changing things. We are told in Scripture that as the world draws towards the culmination of history, there will be many changes, “wars and rumors of wars….” etc. We are praying because we want to live in faith, not in fear.

When God is “ready to move” in the sense of turning the page from one era or season in His church, it is often the church itself that is the most resistant to moving with Him in the changes He is bringing. We want to pray in order to be ready to move with Him.

In Matthew 9:14, we see this pattern as the disciples of John the Baptist (representing the most recent wave of revival) come to Jesus and ask him why His disciples “do not fast?” They fasted and so did the Pharisees before them. Their concern was not so much about whether or not Jesus’ disciples are fasting. Their real question (the question behind the question) was “Why are you doing something different than what we did?” We want to pray so that we can receive, not react to what the Lord is doing in the present.

When God is preparing to do a “new thing” in the earth, it is just that, a new thing. Jesus came to earth in a totally unpredictable way. Many who were expecting the Messiah missed Him because they were expecting something else. We want to pray and draw closer to the Lord so that we don’t miss what He is doing in our world.

We will break our fast as a church family at our annual SRCC Family Meeting on Sunday, January 29th at 5:30PM.

During this time we will reflect on what we have heard in our time set aside unto the Lord and then look ahead to the remainder of 2012 and what we, as a covenant community, will focus on, pursue and advance towards living as disciples of Jesus Christ in Santa Rosa. A light dinner will be provided before our presentation of the 2011 year in review and our 2012 Roadmap.