Tuesday, August 31, 2021

Matthew 6:16-18 So what’s up with this fasting thing?

 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)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5AkNqLuVgY

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