The story has often been told that a monarch in ancient times called his wise men of the kingdom together and asked them if there was one single thought they could give him that would speak to any and all troubles he would ever encounter. They came back with: “This, too, shall pass.”
This may seem way too simplistic, but think about it for a moment. The “big” problem that concerned you 10 years ago was … ??? I’d bet most people can’t recall what “the problem” was. It passed. And if a problem is facing you right at this moment, it will pass just as the former ones did. It may take some “prayer and fasting” as Jesus taught (see Matthew 17:21), but it, too, will pass.
But what does prayer and fasting really entail? Commonly, fasting is defined as to go without food, but I think Jesus meant something else. While I can’t presume to be an authority on exactly what Jesus intended when he told his disciples who had failed to heal a problem that they needed to pray and fast, I’ve always thought he was telling them that they needed to buckle down more firmly in their prayer and spiritual warfare, and be open to sacrificing their belief and fear of the problem. By fasting, I don’t think he was suggesting they become “weight watchers” so much as “thought watchers.”
