“When you give, when you pray, when you fast …”
Jesus assumed that His disciples would engage in these righteous acts. Of the
three, fasting may be the least practiced, the least discussed, and the least
understood. Let’s talk about the purposes, the procedures, and the benefits of
periodically abstaining from food, intending not to be seen by men but only by
God.
A little boy in our
congregation is especially excited when the preaching starts. He cannot wait.
From the time our worship begins until the sermon opens, he anticipates that
sermon. You might say he has an enormous appetite for it. For, you see, it’s
only when the preacher introduces his lesson that this little guy is allowed to
start eating his Fruit Loops! Ha! Self-control! Even a child can deny himself
food until the proper time, because he knows a feast is coming!
I thought to myself,
“If I just double the quantity of his Fruit Loops, I can preach twice as long!”
Of course, this cute
kid will learn as he grows that “Man does not live by Fruit Loops alone.” But,
all in due time. I admire our many young families who are training their young
ones in ways that they consider age-appropriate.
Reading: Matt
6:16-18
What …
Fasting is
deliberately abstaining from food and sometimes drink for a set period of time.
E.g., each morning
you “break” your “fast.”
Of course you may
“abstain” from anything, but “fasting” refers to food and perhaps drink.
In fact, people go
without food whenever something more important than food has captured their
attention. A crisis, a cancer diagnosis, a broken friendship or marriage, a
despicable crime, overwhelming loneliness, or a death.
If you and I were on
a sinking ship, hoping to be rescued …
If it were winter,
and we lost our heat and electricity …
If we were eating
dinner, and someone at the table choked or fell …
Or we realized
suddenly that the house was on fire …
Our natural desire
for food would give way to a greater desire.
When a family is
destitute, and food is scarce, and someone must do without, the mother and
father deny themselves so that their children may have what little is
available.
When a person goes
on a hunger strike to call attention to a pressing social or moral issue …
Who …
Moses (40 days
twice). David (Saul, David’s child).
Elijah (Jezebel).
Jehoshaphat (threat).
Ninevites (threat).
Daniel (exile). Ezra (safety).
Nehemiah (crisis).
Esther (threat).
84-year-old Anna at
the temple (habit).
Pharisees: twice a
week, Mon and Thu. Lk 18:12
Jesus Fasted. Why?
Matt 4:1-2 Led by the Spirit,
into the wilderness, to be tempted; after fasting 40 days, then hungry.
To prepare Himself
for temptation and ministry.
To be genuinely
hungry, and so truly tempted.
To face and reject
Satan’s temptations early.
To re-enact Israel’s
time in the desert.
To feed upon the
Word of God.
The Multitude Fasted. Why?
Matt 15:32 And Jesus … said,
“I feel compassion for the people, because they have remained with Me now
three days and have nothing to eat; and I do not want to send them away
hungry, for they might faint on the way.”
The crowd went
without food because they chose rather to “feast” on Jesus’ teachings.
Jesus’ Disciples Would Fast. Why?
Luke 5:33-39 As wedding
attendants (the disciples), not while the groom (Jesus) was with them, but only
when He was taken away. He said, “They will fast in those days.”
Fast only when there
is a suitable reason.
When we enjoy and
celebrate our walk with the Lord? No! When we feel distant from the Lord (sin,
sorrow, pain) and seek a closer walk? Yes!
The First-Century Church Fasted. Why?
Acts 13:1-3 The leaders in
Antioch were “worshiping the Lord and fasting.” Likely to pray and seek God’s
will. The Holy Spirit then called Barnabas and Saul. “Then after fasting and
praying they laid their hands … sent them off.”
Acts 14:23 And they appointed
elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting they committed them to
the Lord in whom … believed.
When …
Not “if,” but
“when.” As with giving and prayer.
Jesus assumed the
action, addressed the motive.
Jesus again went
behind the “what” to the “why.”
Not …
Not with a gloomy,
disfigured, woeful face.
σκυθρωποί –
skythrōpós – serious- or sad-looking, perhaps gloomy, solemn, bitter,
depressed, sorrowful, or melancholic. Gen 40:7; Lk 24:17
ἀφανίζουσιν –
aphanizō – to destroy, make unsightly, disfigure, make ugly.
Not to be noticed by
men.
But …
But with anointed
(washed) head and face.
As you normally would
appear and behave.
So that …
So that your fasting
will not be noticed by men.
So that God, not
other people, may see.
He sees what is done
in secret.
As with giving and
prayer.
And …
Jesus promised the
Father’s reward for fasting.
Mt 6:18 … and your Father
who sees what is done in secret will reward you.
What blessings might
the Father provide?
Examples
Recently I was with
a Christian friend. He did not volunteer to discuss his fasting. I could tell
by looking at him that he had lost weight. I asked him how. He said, “My wife
and I fast every Tuesday.” So I wanted him to tell me about their experience
anonymously, so that I could share it with all of you.
Here it is the feedback from “brother # 1:”
I have thought a lot
about the benefits of fasting both from a physical and a
mental/spiritual standpoint. There certainly are benefits that may not be
immediately apparent in both cases.
1). Fasting can
take our focus off of food. We as individuals and a society spend a big
part of our day thinking about food. Where are we going, who with, what
to eat, oh somebody doesn’t like this or that place/ food / allergies / and on
and on. Fasting takes those things out of the equation and makes
them less important. Even when we are not fasting food becomes
less of an “issue” for us.
2). Fasting requires
self-discipline. That carries over to other things in our life as well.
Spiritual things like meditation on God’s will for us, study time,
prayer, and even rest become easier due to the focus required for fasting.
Following the biblical model of not mentioning the fast to others has
some personal benefit to me. Last I went about 44 hours between meals.
That is a good length to fast but we eat together often at church and the
temptation to eat a bite of dessert someone offers is strong but the resistance
is kind of like a workout. It strengthens us and helps in any area needing
discipline.
3). Weight loss.
If weight control is needed or desired it will be a result
of fasting. If it is not needed there are still physical benefits
from fasting.
4). Fueling
our bodies on something other than glucose. Grains, fruits , processed
sugar and other refined carbohydrates convert to glucose before our bodies use
them. When we fast our bodies us stored fuel (fat and glycogen) to
operate on and no glucose is involved . Reductions in inflammation of
our tissues, joint problems, digestive issues, diabetic problems and other
physical problems level out when we fast.
5). Fasting gets
easier the more it is done. Our bodies become accustomed to not eating
all the time so the cravings go away. When that happens it is easier to
stay focused on spiritual things because that craving for physical satisfaction
is less.
My wife and I have
been blessed by sharing with each other the benefits we each get
from fasting. They are somewhat different. I feel better and
get more organized in getting priorities straight and working through a
schedule.
My wife is home and
finds improved focus and meditation in prayer and in deeper discussions with
other women she worships/ counsels / shares with spiritually on a daily basis.
----------
Then I asked another
good friend in Christ to tell me about his experience.
Here it is the feedback from “brother # 2:”
Here are my thoughts
from my very first fasting experience.
For most of my early
life as a child of God, fasting was not something I did. I
remember my first meaningful fast for the Lord. My wife and I determined to
fast during our evening meal time. Fortunately, we made a list of prayer items,
including the church directory. We wanted to pray for every member and their
entire family. Our prayer time included missions, those who were sick or
suffering, and newborn babies. We prayed for our countries leaders
and also prayed for our church leaders by name including their family.
We offered several
prayers during this fasting time. Interestingly, the later prayers
became a time of praying for our own shortcoming and beseeching the Lord for
strength to prevail against the wiles of the devil. Later in the evening we
were tempted to eat a meal but restrained ourselves. Instead of food we just
said another short prayer.
It seemed to us that
our fasting and prayer drew us closer to the Lord than we had ever
been. We felt a sense of cleansing because of our confession of sin. And, we
felt a sense of being blessed by the Lord for putting spiritual needs ahead of
physical food.
Fast when you need to (and you do need to!) …
Pray and meditate on
God and His Word.
Express sorrow and
repentance for sin.
Draw near to God and
seek His favor.
Humble yourself and
become more aware of your absolute dependence on God.
Feed your hunger and
thirst for righteousness.
Because “man does
not live by bread alone.”
Possible hymns:
Unto Thee O Lord
All to Jesus I Surrender
Restore My Soul
Revive Us Again
Light the Fire
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