During our 40-Day Prayer Adventure, we are going to issue several “Prayer Challenges” to consider. Yesterday we shared the challenge of fasting. Here’s are some practical questions that are often asked about the spiritual discipline of fasting.
I still don’t fully get it. Why does God ask me to fast?
We spelled out some of the benefits for fasting in yesterday’s devotional. But Jesus gives the overarching rationale for fasting in Mark 2:18-20. When the religious leaders criticized Jesus because his disciples didn’t fast, Jesus replied by saying, “Can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom (i.e. Jesus) is with them?…The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in that day.”
So fasting is something we will do when we are not fully present with Jesus. In other words, here and now, on this side of eternity. Yes, Jesus is with us through the Holy Spirit, but what we have now is a very different experience from what we will have in eternity. Here we “see through the glass darkly” but then we’ll see face to face (1 Cor.13:12). Here is just a small down-payment of the full blessings we’ll one day enjoy (Eph.1:13-14). Here we need faith and hope to bridge the gap through those times when Jesus seems silent or distant. But in eternity, faith and hope will no longer be needed (Romans 8:23-24).
All this to say, fasting is a deeper level of seeking God that we should practice if we long to have a closer walk with Christ.
I’ve never fasted before. How should I start? Is there a certain length that makes it “official”?
While we see examples of multi-day fasts in Scripture (usually for a set purpose or national emergency), regular one-day fasts were woven into Israel’s worship life. That’s generally been my habit when I fast – going a full day without food (basically 36-hours). But some fast for 24-hours, from supper to supper. Some do a partial day fast.
The only thing that makes your fast “official” is what’s going on in your heart. Are you doing it for – and with – the Lord?
Interestingly, fasting is similar to any other physical discipline. When you first try it, it can be very challenging. But over time, you actually begin to condition your body and mind to do it. So starting out, rather than attempt a 36-hour fast, maybe fast a meal, then two. Pay attention to your body and emotions. Some of us have never “stayed with hunger” long enough to really know what it feels like.
Which is one of the points behind fasting, to be stretched by its discomfort, to the point where we turn to God instead of food. Consequently, we learn to grow in self-control over our desires and cravings. The “No!” we learn to say to food becomes transferable to other areas, like sinful temptations.
What if I can’t fast from food? Are there substitutes I can turn to?
Absolutely! Mark Batterson says this in Draw The Circle: “While the most obvious kind of fast involves food, a media fast can be just as powerful. If we want to hear the voice of God, we’ve got to get rid of the white noise in our lives. A television fast or Facebook fast may be precisely what we need to hear God’s voice more clearly. No matter what we fast, we need to establish a time frame and an objective. If we don’t determine exactly when the fast starts and finishes, we’ll find excuses to compromise and probably quit. So we must establish a start date and an end date and then figure out what we’re fasting for.”
The apostle Paul said in 1 Corinthians 6:12, “I will not be mastered by anything.” So if there is anything in your life that when it shouts, “Jump!”, you say, “How high?”, that might be precisely the thing to fast from, and hand over to God. Not to belabor it – but the idea again is to be stretched by discomfort, which then sends you running to Jesus in deeper prayer.
What about my children? How do I fast while caring for them?
In case you’re wondering, fasting is not something to ask of growing children. So meals for the family still need to be planned on your fasting days. Believe it or not, but as you grow in this discipline, you’ll come to realize that you can pretty much go through your day as you ordinarily would when you fast. I still have my morning coffee. I still exercise on fasting days. I go to work and attend meetings. The hunger you’ll feel on a fasting day is most intense around meal-times (our stomachs really are nothing but spoiled brats!) But then it will go away, and for hours become hardly noticeable. Once you start doing it regularly, you’ll develop your own mental strategies for pushing through the hardest parts. But mental strategy #1 should always be extra time in prayer.
What will I experience when I break my fast?
You’ll probably feel a sense of euphoria for having completed it. Hopefully, some of that joy will be knowing that you’ve brought a smile to your Lord’s face.
The first bites of food will be amaaaazing. Even just a piece of warm, buttered toast will be like heavenly manna. Surprisingly, you’ll probably not eat as much as you think you will. But start smart. Break your fast with a good breakfast (are you catching the origin of the word breakfast?) Get some protein in you with some eggs. Or I often just have a bowl of cereal loaded up with fruit.
Spiritually speaking, I like to try to have a solid quiet time with the Lord early in the day for any debriefing He’d like to do with me. And I notice that there are often a variety of spiritual wrap-around benefits that I experience even a day or two after the fast.
Just as an aside, I’ve learned not to make weight-loss the point of the fast, because any weight I’ve lost usually returns in short order. However, fasting will often lead to better fitness and nutrition habits, and that’s more likely where you’ll experience the physical payoff.
Whew! I’m glad I don’t have to do that anytime soon!
Well……not to burst your bubble. But until we see our Bridegroom face to face, fasting is meant to be a part of our spiritual arsenal. We ought to be able to call for fast-days at BridgeWay, and not have half the congregation bewildered by it.
The Old Testament Jews practiced it so routinely that if they weren’t careful, they could do it mindlessly and forget the purpose for it entirely. Read Isaiah 58 where God rebukes them for fasting in the wrong spirit. Trust me – if you’re going to go through the bother of fasting, you want to make sure you receive full spiritual credit for it!
Here’s a great song to break a fast with: