Worldwide Unity

It’s Easter Season. For Jews, that’s Passover week. For Christians, the whole week leads up to the resurrection of Christ, Easter Sunday.

Meanwhile, the world is plagued.

We don’t like being plagued. But we try to find the good in it. And there are some good things. A friend celebrating Passover suggested that, if God wanted all the families of the earth to be at home together for Passover, well, this is a way. For Easter, because we’re empty nesters, we will miss gathering with our children and grandchildren. I don’t think we’ve had that happen before. But for families with children, this Easter is likely to be more memorable, more focused, than any other in their growing up years.

A lot less candy. A lot more family togetherness. A lot more prayer.

found on Worldwide Fast April 10 Facebook page

This past weekend was our worldwide General Conference, which we could tune into online, fortunately. For those of us far away from Utah, that’s how we always do it. The odd thing was that, even in Utah everyone had to do it by tuning in. The Tabernacle Choir still provided music—but all was from previous recordings, since they can’t get together right now. The speakers for each session (there are 5 sessions over two days) met in a room, spaced from one another, instead of in the Conference Center with 25,000 of their closest friends and neighbors.

During that conference, our President, Russell M. Nelson, asked us to join together in a worldwide fast, this Friday, Good Friday, April 10. He asked us to pray for relief from the virus, protection for the caregivers, relief for the economy, and a return to our normal lives. He asked us to share this so it will be not just a fast for Latter-day Saints, but for everyone.

That has been happening. Someone started a public Facebook group, Worldwide Fast April 10, to share, and to encourage.

Worldwide Fast April 10 Facebook group header

They put together a map of where participants are from. It is truly worldwide.

Map set up to identify locations of members of Worldwide Fast April 10

People of different faiths have asked if they’re welcome, and they receive a resounding yes.

collection from Worldwide Fast April 10, found here

Early on there was a meme comparing this to the Fellowship of the Ring, with everyone offering their part.

Found on Worldwide Fast April 10 Facebook page

Earlier today I saw this one, also humorously using fictional comparisons.

found on Worldwide Fast April 10 Facebook page

May people have shared their stories. So many have shared their concerns that, because they haven’t been faithful for a long time, they might not be worthy to join. They’re welcomed. What if they’re gay? They’re welcome. What if they haven’t prayed in years? Join us in prayer. What if they’ve never fasted before? Good time to give it a try.

So, a word about the pattern of fasting and prayer.

Walter Rane painting "Master, I Have Brought
My Son Unto Thee"
recounted in Mark 9

There’s a moment in Christ’s life, recounted in Mark 9, when he had been healing people. His disciples came to him privately afterward, asking why they had been unsuccessful in healing the young man Jesus had just healed. He answered, “This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting.” Sometimes a simple prayer is not enough for a more serious problem. Sometimes you need to add fasting to prayer.

In our Church, we have a monthly fast day. The traditional pattern is to eat dinner one evening, and then don’t eat or drink again until dinner the following day, so 24 hours later. The money for the two missed meals is given as an offering to the poor. (This fast offering is over and above tithing.)

We usually do this on a Sunday, during which we go about our regular Sunday practices. We don’t appear to fast—although grumbling stomachs can be heard. And we often use this day to share our testimonies, our experiences with Christ in our lives. We pray throughout, preferably with a particular purpose that we pray for. We end the fast with a prayer. Then we eat.

That is the standard. But there can be variations. It can go longer. Or shorter, depending on your abilities and strength. Small children don’t typically fast. Older children might start by missing just one meal. People who need to take medicine can drink water and do that. People who need to take medicine with food might need to eat.

The going without food does something to help us recognize our physical limitations and dependency on God. But people with health issues—nursing mothers, diabetics, etc.—can work toward that focus in their prayers another way. If they cannot, or should not, go without food and drink for a full 24 hours, they can sacrifice something else, or simply consecrate the day and their prayers, and ask the Lord to accept their offering.

In other words, it’s about a lot more than getting really hungry.

When we look at times in scriptures when there were plagues, such as famines or pestilence, relief would come once the people turned back to God.

found on Worldwide Fast April 10
Facebook page

I don’t think this means God inflicts his people with these things. I think we live in a fallen world where these things are part of what we face. But we can face and overcome the world when we are connected to God. When we don’t connect to Him, He doesn’t reach out His protective hand indefinitely.

What can we expect from this special day of fasting and prayer? We can expect a turning of our hearts to God, which is always a good thing. And if we are sincere and united, I believe He will hear our prayers and grant us relief.

I don’t know what that will look like. I do believe it will mean something miraculous—something that those of us who join together in this fast will recognize as miraculous. Those who do not pray with us might be able to call it just science or nature, but those of us who prayed will know more.

I don’t know timing. I don’t know what things will look like. But I do believe if we pray for those four things, we will look back at this day in the not too distant future and see—this was when things began to change. This was the turning point.

And possibly we will remember the way we felt, united together in our turning to God. We will feel love toward one another. And that will be a very good thing as we face whatever the next challenge to the world might be. We might even feel closer together in this time of isolation than we have felt for a very long time.

Come and join us in this Worldwide Fast, April 10, 2020. 

And then enjoy a beautiful Easter morning, celebrating The One who overcame death, and overcame this fallen world.

lyrics to the hymn "In Fasting We Approach Thee"
graphic found on Worldwide Fast April 10 Facebook page