Day 23: A Call to Anguish
The early Church Father Eusebius wrote a story about the Apostle John. The story goes that when the Apostle John was an elderly man, he took an affection and interest in a young man from Ephesus and discipled him. After some time, this young man became entangled with a band of criminals, and was corrupted by them, finally becoming their leader. When John returned from his Gospel travels after some time to search for the young man, expecting to find him spiritually well and maturing, he was informed of the young man’s criminal state. John went searching for the young man. When he located the young man, he fled from the elderly Apostle in shame. But John ran after him as hard as he could, forgetting his age, and calling out in anguish, 'Why are you running away from me, child – from your own father, unarmed and old? Pity me, child, don't fear me! I will give account to Christ for you, and if necessary, gladly suffer death and give my life for yours as the Lord suffered death for us. Stop! Believe! Christ sent me.” The young man stopped, stared at the ground, threw down his weapons and wept bitterly. Flinging his arms around the old man, he begged forgiveness, and was baptized a second time with his own tears. John led him back and did not leave him until – through prayer, fasting, and instruction – he restored him to the church.
Have you ever made a gut-wrenching mistake that just left you filled with guilt and shame? Have you ever hurt or betrayed a loved one, and the pain of your action(s) drove you to tears for days on end? In such times, you would give anything to make things right. In the book of Joel, God declared judgment on the people for their sin and betrayal of His covenant love. Even as the Lord passed a sentence on His people, He called them to make things right by repenting. God called them to a time of divine anguish; with a call to fasting, weeping, and mourning. Instead of superficial prayers and callous outward shows of penitence, He called them to the kind anguish that tore at the core of their hearts in repentance. (See Joel 2:12-13). The Bible shows us that anguish can be a powerful motivator for repentance.
Prayer
Dear Heavenly Father, instead of always looking for the quickest exit out of grief, remorse, or pain over my sin and wrongdoing, I now realize that I need to invite you to give me a proper perspective of my actions and hurtful ways. The best way to do this is by humbling myself through fasting and repentance. Give me a genuinely repentant heart. Thank you that when I sincerely repent, you stand ready to receive me. Today I embrace your mercy, compassion and loving kindness. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.
Join us for a 6-week online book study of Derek Prince’s “Shaping History Through Prayer and Fasting” starting July 8, 2025. We will meet each week on Zoom from 5:00-6:30pm CT. The online book study will conclude on August 12, 2025.
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