August 31, 2021
So what’s up with this fasting thing?
Matthew 6:16-18, NIV - “When you fast, do not look
somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they
are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and
wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting,
but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done
in secret, will reward you.”
So does anyone fast anymore? Except for the popular “intermittent fasting”
weight loss technique, fasting as a spiritual discipline is not all that
popular these days. You don’t find a lot
of people saying things like, “I just had a ball fasting last week” or “I just
can’t wait until my next fast.” Of all
the classical spiritual disciplines, this is usually one of the least popular
and least practiced. So, I don’t blame
you if you want to take a pass on fasting.
After all, I like to eat too. Every day.
Multiple times. This fasting
thing. Is. Not. Fun.
But hear me out. Fasting, or abstaining from something
significant, can achieve results in us that cannot be achieved in any other
way. Here are a few:
1)
Purposely not doing something you usually do
makes you aware of things you didn’t notice before. Although I’m not exactly proud to admit this,
practicing fasting (from food) made me realize that I often eat out of habit or
even boredom rather than actually being hungry.
Not playing games on my tablet for a couple of months one time made me
realize how much time I was wasting playing before.
2)
Choosing not to do something you usually do
makes you aware of people who do not have a choice about that which you are
fasting from. Feeling hungry from
fasting reminds me that there are people all around me who are hungry pretty
much all the time and not by choice. I
personally need that reminder.
3)
Fasting or abstinence from one thing frees up
time and energy to more fully focus on something else. For me, I pray more when I’m fasting. And for a reason I can’t explain, I feel my
prayer is more focused when I’m fasting.
4)
Group fasts (a bunch of people deciding to fast
at the same time) often creates a sense of solidarity. Solidarity is a powerful spiritual
force. It galvanizes people toward a
particular cause or focus.
There are other reasons to fast
that could be listed, but I’ve listed the big ones. To be clear, fasting is not a
commandment. There are people in heaven
who had never fasted a day in their life.
But from personal experience and from firsthand accounts of others I’ve
talked to over the years, fasting and/or abstinence can have a transformative effect
on us. I encourage the practice for
anyone for whom it is safe to do so. If fasting from food would be dangerous
for you, please hear me say, “don’t do it.”
Try abstaining from something you like to do instead.
Question: Have you
ever noticed a benefit from purposely depriving yourself of something (food or something
else)?
Prayer: Lord Jesus,
as one of us, you regularly practiced fasting for your own benefit and
focus. Help me follow your lead in a way
that healthy and appropriate for me. Amen
Prayer Focus: Pray
for all essential workers today – protection and strength.
Song: Give Me Your
Eyes (Brandon Heath)
