God: "I looked for someone to take a stand for me, and stand in the gap" (Ezekiel 22:30)
It is important to note that as Jesus was standing on the brink of the most important public ministry the world had ever seen [Mt. 4:1-11], He chose to fast! Have you ever paused to reflect on the eternal consequences of what transpired in the wilderness of Judea those forty days? Heaven and hell hung in the balance. Had Jesus wavered, had He faltered, had He balked, all hope of heaven would have been dashed on the very rocks with which the enemy tempted Him. Of the dozens of things Jesus might have done to withstand temptation, He is led by the Spirit to fast.
[God] may direct some to leave their homeland to go to proclaim the Gospel in a foreign land. There is a great temptation in such circumstances for people to revert to the legalism of thinking that they are being heroes for God because they are leaving their homeland to endure the rigors of living in a foreign land. Those who are directed to do hard jobs for God must remind themselves that these rigors are simply for their health. As these difficulties help them become more like Christ, they will sing a song of praise unto God, and as a result 'many will see it and fear and put their trust in the Lord' (Psm. 40:3). People who regard themselves as invalids rather than heroes will make excellent missionaries.