50 Days of Prayer and Fasting: A Pastoral 'Thank You'

On July 12th, 2009 I challenged the flock at Wynne Baptist to a 50 day season of prayer and fasting. Not one where all of us prayed and fasted for 50 days, but one in which at least 50 of us committed to pray and fast for one day over a 50 day period (July 13th-August 31st). Nearly 100 WBCers committed to pray and fast for at least one day. The call was to seek the will of God for our church's future and to plead with Him to come and move in and around us in extraordinary ways in the days to come.

This past Monday, August 31st, was the 50th and final day for this specific prayer and fasting period. I just sent out an e-mail to all who participated. I wanted to include it here, hoping that some will post a response, detailing ways they have seen the Lord work recently and in ways they see Him work as a direct result of their obedience to pray and fast.

In what follows is the e-mail message I sent out. I urge everyone to be expectant in the days to come and express faith in the Lord that He heard our prayers and will answer in His way and in His time. Thank you WBC!




WBC Family,

I am writing this e-mail to all who participated in my July 12th challenge (the closing challenge for the church to be "Radically Intentional") for the church to pray and fast for 50 days straight in order to seek the Lord's will for our future and ask the Lord to move in power in the days ahead.

My purpose in sending this message is two-fold. First, I want to personally thank each of you for participating. I am trusting that all of you who signed up to pray and fast for at least one of the days between July 12th and August 31st, did indeed pray and fast for our church on your assigned day. THANK YOU!!! There is no doubt in my mind that God has heard our prayers and will be faithful to answer them in His way and in His time. Your commitment and love for WBC is so appreciated by me and I truly thank you for being willing to forsake food (or whatever you were led to fast from) for us to be able to have more of the presence of God in our midst.

Second, I want to ask you to be expectant in the days to come. In other words, now that you have accepted the challenge to pray and fast for our church, I challenge you to follow through with that by expecting God to answer and wait with eager anticipation for God to move in extraordinary ways. I still believe that the best days WBC have ever seen are ahead. Not in the sense of God making much of our church, but in the sense of His releasing the power of His Spirit in our congregation in supernatural ways like never before. So now that we have spent time praying and fasting, let's express our faith in Him to act by expecting to see God save lost souls in Wynne and around the world; let's expect God to grant us all a deeper love for His Son and each other; let's expect God to lead us in the area of our music ministry; let's expect God to call more of us out to serve Him on mission around the world; let's expect God to stir in the hearts of those who are cold to the Gospel and lukewarm to the things of the Lord. In short, let's expect God to do far more than we could ever ask, or imagine, or think.

I would love to hear from you, especially if God did some unique things in your life as a direct result of your obedience to pray and fast. Let me know how God is at work in ways that you know were prompted by your seeking Him on your assigned day to pray and fast.

My e-mail address is: mpearson@wynnebaptist.orgAlso, I plan to post this "thank you" e-mail on my blog: www.mattwbc.blogspot.com.Here you can leave comments for anyone who logs on to my blog can read for themselves.

Thank you, again, for your commitment and diligence to do this. May God reveal Himself to us in marvelous ways in the days to come.

With Great Expectancy in My Heart,

Bro. Matt
Acts 20:24