When The Covering Is Gone: Rebuilding The Tent Through Prayer and Fasting

Pastor Cottrill's message from our Church From Home service on Wednesday, January 14th 2026

This powerful message confronts us with a penetrating question: what happens when we become so focused on what's above us that we miss what's right in front of us? Drawing from the humorous tale of Sherlock Holmes and Watson losing their tent while stargazing, we're challenged to recognize when our spiritual covering has been stolen. The core revelation centers on Matthew 17:21, where Jesus explains to his frustrated disciples that certain spiritual battles require more than experience or knowledge—they demand the covering of prayer and fasting. We discover that when carnality rises, disunity spreads, complacency settles, and holiness slips, we don't need new programs or better strategies. We need to rebuild what has been lost: our covering through prayer and fasting. The message weaves through Joel's call to sanctify a fast, Psalm 133's declaration about unity, and the Acts church's pattern of prayer preceding power. Perhaps most striking is the call from John 3:30—'He must increase, but I must decrease'—reminding us that God's greatest work happens not when we do more, but when we surrender more. This isn't about religious performance; it's about recognizing that flesh cannot conquer flesh, and strongholds aren't pulled down with carnal weapons. We're invited into a posture of holy desperation, where hunger pains become reminders of our hunger for God's presence and power.