2011 January Fast - Saturday and Sunday

1/8/11: All week, I’ve stayed on the 80/10/10 fast with absolutely no slips. Yea!

This morning, when I tried to leave my house, my front door would not open. The dead bolt was not on, yet I could not open the door. I could see that the tongue of the door handle was not moving even though I was pushing the handle down. I tried for about 20 minutes but was totally unsuccessful in getting it to open.

I was already late to a “Quickening” seminar (a Klemmer Personal Mastery seminar with Christian emphasis) and so I thought I would just deal with it when I got home after the going to the seminar and then leading worship at the Pierce County Christian Singles meeting.

During the meeting, I had another one of my problems with “free” food and I did eat some cooked food. I was not happy with myself but tried to give myself grace about it.

In the morning, I had gone out the back door and had locked it so that no one could get into my house. When I got home after 10PM, I could not open the back door! My key wouldn’t even go in at all! Every house I’ve ever owned had the same key for all the outside doors and it had not even occurred to me that this house was different when I went out the back door.

I went back to the front door, praying the whole time that it would open……it didn’t. I went back to the back door (all these trips were in the rain because my carport is only on my front door side) and the key still would not fit in. By this time, I was not only praying, but crying out to God about my need to get into my house so I would have a good night’s sleep before being on the worship team at IHOP NW in the morning.

I’m not even sure how many times I went back and forth but nothing opened no matter how much I prayed. Just as I was coming around once again to the back door, there was a car turning in to a house just down from me and so I went down there and asked them if they knew how to break into a house. Amazingly, they said they used to help a locksmith and they might be able to do it! What are the chances?

But, they weren’t able to get in. However, they knew another guy who they used to work with in the locksmith business and he might help and he lived about 5 houses down. Again, what are the chances. And, what are the chances he would be willing to come help at this rude hour of the night?

But, he did come. Unfortunately, the back door lock was frozen (as in had not been used in so long that it wouldn’t work). We all went around to all the windows hoping that I had not been efficient in locking them all. No luck, they were all very well locked.

However, I had never removed the air conditioner when I got the heat pump and all four of us finally, after much grunting and straining, were able to get the air conditioner out of the window and I climbed into my house through it. Whew!

As I pondered these events I realized that first of all, God takes our “fastings” seriously and I fell off by eating cooked food at the PCCS meeting. This opened a door for the enemy to work in my life.

So, I was unable to get in by the front OR the back door. However, God is gracious and provided a way out! The fact that my neighbors came home just when I needed them, the fact that they had ideas about how to get in, the fact that they knew the guy who was a former locksmith (and who was strong enough to help with getting the air conditioner out when he was unable to pick the lock because the door knob was frozen) are all examples of God’s grace for me even though I was not obedient to the fast.

I praise His Holy Name!

By the way, today I’ve been good all day long and plan to stay on the fast the rest of the time.