By Pastor Ryan Stockstrom

Harvest Church

As we begin a new year, I’ve been encouraging our church family to refocus on connecting deeper to God.  Specifically through the practices of prayer and fasting. These practices aren’t about religious performance or checking boxes. They are about realigning our hearts.

Moses understood this. When God spoke of leading Israel forward, Moses responded with a bold but honest prayer: “If your presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here.” He knew success without God’s presence wasn’t success at all. What distinguished God’s people was not their strength or strategy, but the nearness of God Himself.

That truth hasn’t changed.

We live in a world constantly pulling at our attention—our appetites, our ambitions, and our need to appear important. Scripture reminds us that these desires are temporary, but those who do the will of God live with eternal perspective. Prayer and fasting help us loosen our grip on what fades so we can more firmly grasp what lasts.

One way to draw us deeper in prayer is to pray through scripture.  One of the most helpful guides for prayer, next to praying through the Lord’s prayer, comes from Psalm 23—the well-known Shepherd Psalm. It paints a picture not of a distant God, but of a personal one: “The Lord is my shepherd; I lack nothing”.  That opening line says more than we often realize. It declares that God leads us. He provides for us. He cares for us. Throughout Scripture, God reveals His character through names that describe who He is for His people.

He is our Shepherd—guiding and guarding us when we don’t know the way.

He is our Provider—meeting our needs in ways we often don’t expect.

He is our Peace—leading us beside quiet waters when life feels overwhelming.

He is our Healer—restoring what has been broken in body, soul, and spirit.

He is our Righteousness—showing us how to walk in ways that lead to life.

He is Present—never abandoning us, even in the darkest valleys.

He is our Banner—covering us with His authority and care.

When we pray through these truths, something shifts. We stop striving and start trusting. We stop asking God to bless our plans and instead ask Him to shape our hearts.

Fasting plays a similar role. At its core, fasting is simple—but not easy. It’s choosing to say no to certain comforts so we can say yes to deeper connection with God. That might look like skipping meals, simplifying food choices, or stepping away from constant digital noise. It’s less about how we fast, but the posture of our hearts in the fast.  God honors a heart that genuinely seeks Him.

As we seek the Lord, we step into the promises at the end of Psalm 23.  It’s not vague optimism. It is confident assurance: “Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

That is the life God desires for His people—led, fed, cared for, and sent forward with purpose.

As we step into a new year, my hope is not that we become busier, but deeper. Not more religious, but more aligned. And not more self-reliant, but more aware of the Shepherd who has been faithful all along.

He is already going before us!  Here’s to 2026!