Many years ago I was the youth minister of a church. I was in over my head, burning out quickly, and in need of time with God. So I arranged a retreat for a few days at a friend’s cabin in the country.
I took only a Bible and a journal with me, vowing not to read, watch, or listen to anything else. After an hour or so of panicked prayers about the pressures I faced, a strange calm came over me. I prayed, praised, read Scripture, and wrote in my journal for the next few hours, realizing only later that I had skipped lunch. Maybe this is what fasting is about, I thought, focusing on God to the exclusion of all else.
When Jesus talks about fasting, He doesn’t tell us to do it; He just assumes we will. His focus therefore is on our motives. Mondays and Thursdays were market days in Jesus’ time—prime days for religious hypocrites to publicize their fasting to the crowds (Matthew 6:16). Jesus revealed that fasting shouldn’t be done for applause. Instead, love for God and others should be the catalyst (Matthew 22:37-39).
If we choose to fast, we reveal our love for God by making Him our focus (Matthew 6:18). We can also love others by fasting for their safety (Esther 4:13-16), for help in their suffering (Psalm 35:11-16), or for guidance during times of national crisis (2 Chronicles 20:1-4). And God can use fasting to help us hear from Him (Acts 13:2), be empowered for mission (Acts 13:3), become sensitive to the Spirit (Galatians 5:17), and keep our desires in check.
Christian fasting isn’t about looking good to others, nor is it a hunger strike to make God do what we want. Fasting is about focusing on God to the exclusion of all else. He meets us in our fasting and provides what we need.
NLT 365-day reading plan passage for today: Numbers 13:1–14:4
More:
Read Matthew 4:4 and consider the importance of realizing where our true provision comes from.
Next:
Have you ever attempted a fast? How can fasting bring honor to God? How can it be done for the wrong motives?
Gary Shultz on February 19, 2016 at 6:22 am
This is a place I don’t really go. Is it a skill or a passion? Does the need arise or is it like a sacrifice that is done voluntarily at the individuals desire. One thing seems to give me a little clarity is that fasting usually accompanies a difficult time or event. It would seem that modern life leaves little time for oneself let alone for fasting. Can fasting be something other than food or comfort? As you see I have a lot of questions as to how this works in today’s schedule. The Bible indicates benefits of this discipline, I find it almost impossible unless you are able to get some solitude. Sorry for all of the questions Sheridan.
massageman90 on February 19, 2016 at 7:17 am
Those are great questions Gary.. sometimes the need arises like we are seeking or waiting on God for a answer …. as for the food or comfort usually food … and Thank you Gary for your daily comments they have tough my heart on many occasions ….
Russell Fralick on February 19, 2016 at 8:17 am
Hi Gary,
You have raised great questions, and I don’t have all the answers but here are some ideas. Hope they shine a little light for you.
I think, as Sheridan pointed out in his article, fasting is something that Jesus seems to almost take for granted; it is something we just do. That does not sit well in our modern world, especially in the West, but it doesn’t make it any less true. It doesn’t have to be in time of crisis. It is part of normal life it seems.
You correctly point out how hard it is to “fit it in”. The point, I have found, is that we don’t have to try to fit it in, we simply have to do it: Get on with the day to day, but as each mealtime comes around you open up your Bible, or sit somewhere quiet to pray, or carry on with your day but focussing on who God is. I find hunger pangs are an excellent way of leading me to prayer!
There is a trust aspect in this as well: can God sustain me when I feel this hungry?! What does fasting actually do? We do not know how it works, but Jesus tells us, and shows us, so we must simpy do it…and trust He knows what He is talking about. So much of our walk is about trusting when we do not fully understand. That is called faith of course, and it is our faith that God sees, and what God rewards. Look at Hebrews 11 and the first chapter of Job to see how God loves to see faith. Fasting involves faith building, and that cannot be a bad thing!
One final note…physiologically it is excellent for the human body to fast once a week. We eat way too much junk in the West anyway! And, after 72 hours, almost to the hour, the hunger pangs disappear completely! Fancy a 3 day fast??
gagirllive on February 19, 2016 at 7:36 am
A while back, our church did a forty days of prayer thing where we fasted one day out of every week. We were encouraged to skip one meal of our choice for that day and to use the time praying instead of eating. If we could not fast food for whatever reason, we could choose to give up something else, i.e., TV or other forms of media. It wasn’t my first experience, but it was a better experience than my previous attempts. At first I had a lot of brain fog from just being hungry, but as I continued to pray that changed into a spiritual hunger, and I became more focused and had more clarity. I guess the main take away from your post, Sheridan, is having the right motives for fasting. Don’t do it to look more spiritual in the eyes of man. It’s one of the “secret things” that Jesus talked about…for His eyes only. It’s being self-forgetful and desperately focused on Him…like you were in the cabin. I appreciate this, Sheridan. Thanks
Russell Fralick on February 19, 2016 at 8:23 am
Sheridan,
“He meets us in our fasting and provides what we need” This point is absolutely genius, thanks! We fast before God, petition Him for what we want, and then He provides what we really need! So often I have pleaded with God for something and He does something completely different, often a thing that hadn’t even hit my radar screen. And yet, what God provides not only fulfills my need, but I have found out, usually later, that it also fulflls what I really wanted, deep down. Thanks for the article!
gymd on February 19, 2016 at 9:14 am
Great dialogue, you all have raised my awareness of this concept and it’s enhancements to spiritual growth…
Thanks so much!
sdwise on February 19, 2016 at 10:42 am
Sheridan gave us many reason to fast, citing scripture references to support doing so. Now we must study further to answer any questions we may have. Whenever we want to know about any subject, we should pray for understanding what scriptures tell us about it. You will need a bible with a concordance to look up “fasting” and read ever reference to it. You will be lead to read several verses before and after to get the proper context it is referring to. Then and only then can we go to bible dictionaries, commentaries, historical bible customs, as we head 2 Timothy 3:16-17. Too often we accept the opinion of others based on our limited education, experiences and opinions without studying what God say about the subject. The key to understanding is praying for the Holy Spirit to inform you, instead of what anybody thinks including ourselves.
jim spillane on February 19, 2016 at 12:33 pm
Thanx to Sheridan and to all the participants at this forum today for bring up this most interesting subject. It’s a topic that I have never really given much thought to, but it sounds like I certainly should, especially when Sheridan mentions that it’s something the Christ “assumes we will” do and Russell, one of our other authors, says that it’s just taken for granted that we do it as a normal part of our lives. But much like Gary, “it’s a place I don’t really go,” but maybe I should. Maybe I truly should after all that’s been said here! I think that the Holy Spirit is going to have to help me with this one. Blessings to you all.
godlove on February 19, 2016 at 12:41 pm
“Christian fasting isn’t … a hunger strike to make God do what we want. ”
This line actually made me laugh out loud. Thanks for this lesson about fasting. A few new things I have learnt to make my fasting experience hopefully more spiritually enriching.