A Biblical Perspective of Fasting
I just got back to Spain from my annual trip to the United States. One of the things I particularly love about the holidays is being able to eat all the goodies that come with Christmas, especially the Maryland things that I don’t get to eat here in Spain. Since I am from the coast, I got to eat a lot of seafood, and I enjoyed every bit of it!
But then I returned to Spain, where our church had a week of prayer and fasting. It coincided with a huge snowstorm (in a city where it doesn’t snow!) so fasting was pretty convenient with all the empty grocery stores!
Many churches do a special emphasis on prayer and fasting in January, but why exactly? Where do we get this habit of doing prayer and fasting at the beginning of the year? What is the point of fasting, other than to lose weight after eating so much in the holiday season?
In preparation for a message for my church (International Church: Madrid, icmadrid.com) I was studying fasting, and I realized that the Church in general does very little teaching nowadays on spiritual disciplines (that’s probably a whole ‘nother post). Many Christians may not regularly practice fasting or even *know much* about the biblical practice of fasting.
Here’s what I learned in my study on fasting (part one):
Jesus is our model for fasting. He Himself fasted, and He gave teaching on fasting. It was a part of Jewish culture and religion that He grew up with. So we have His model and instruction to guide us. When instructing his followers, Jesus taught THIS:
Matthew 6:16-18
“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 right away we see EXPECTATION. Jesus doesn’t say, “If you wanna try something different or interesting, you can maybe do a fast.” He wasn’t talking about trendy new diets that incorporate intermittent fasting for weight loss. He wasn’t talking about fasting for Lent or doing 30 days off of social media. Nope. He indicates that fasting [food] was a regular part of life and religious practice. “WHEN you fast”--which is clearly normal and expected-- don’t do it for SHOW, as some did then (apparently by not bathing and looking a mess).
In fact, Jesus consistently taught his followers that the HEART was more important than the SHOW in everything: when you give, give from the heart. When you pray, pray humbly from the heart. The outward announcement and performance NEVER mattered to Jesus--only the heart, which God alone can see. The text says, “Your Father, who sees what’s done in secret, will reward you.”
So, what exactly is the reward that we receive in fasting? What are we trying to gain?
Fasting shows DEDICATION to the Lord:
What we’re really trying to gain is a closer relationship with the Lord. Fasting has been traditionally understood as a means of repentance-- personally turning back to Him. Fasting is what the Old Testament calls “seeking the face of the Lord,” or trying to be as close to Him as we can. We dedicate a time to give up food while simultaneously dedicating that time to prayer. Biblically, fasting always means abstaining from FOOD.
We devote ourselves to Him, knowing it is much easier to pray – in praise, in confession, in requests– to relate personally to God, when we are fasting than when we have our stomach full and are totally satisfied. Of course, you can pray without fasting. But Biblically, you cannot fast without praying.
Fasting gives us the chance to remember that God is our greatest desire. Physical hunger helps us to remember the hunger we should have for God’s presence and His power. The experience of fasting helps us remember that He is the only one who can truly fill us and satisfy us. We use our own body to demonstrate that we want to be closer to the Lord.
Stay connected for the next part of the series, coming tomorrow.