Spiritual Discipline of Fasting

Since I was a teenager I’ve been told in Christian circles that if there’s a big decision to be made, the best thing to do is fast and pray.

Since I was a teenager I’ve been told in Christian circles that if there’s a big decision to be made, the best thing to do is fast and pray. Fast and pray and then listen for God. Sound advice from people who surely have a great wealth of Bible knowledge. The prayer part I understood, but the fasting? I could never quite wrap my head around why I had to suffer so that God would answer me. It seemed a prerequisite of fast-tracking my prayers to God’s attention. I didn’t understand this spiritual discipline and only saw it as an intentional way to be miserable. I mean a whole day without food, or even longer, not only would I suffer, but also anyone blessed to be in my grumpy presence.

Fasting has become synonymous with suffering. It’s the assumption that to draw near to God you must first deplete yourself. It is misunderstood and typically avoided by believers because it honestly doesn’t seem like a good time. And yet, there it is in Scripture, glaring at us to be followed. So what’s the deal with this seemingly outdated and unrealistic expectation? Thankfully the Bible has much to say.

The Old Testament details many saints who fasted during different times in their faith journeys. In each instance, they withheld food from themselves in order to be immersed in their experience with the Lord. In Exodus, Moses fasted when meeting with God and recording the ten commandments. There was fasting to bring about humility (Ezra 8, NASB), and fasting for reconciliation with the Lord (Joel 2, NASB) and in lament or sorrow (Joel 2). Esther called upon her people to join her in fasting and prayer for three days so that she might be equipped and strengthened to approach the king on their behalf. Not only her life but that of the Jewish remnant was at stake. The entire ruin of the Jewish people in the land of Persia hinged on her courage, surely given to her by God during her time of fasting and prayer (Esther 4, NASB).

But our ultimate example naturally lies in the life of Jesus whose most famous instance of fasting occurs in Matthew 4. Jesus, led by the Spirit to the wilderness has just fasted forty days and nights when the Enemy hits him with three great attacks or temptations. Jesus overcomes these attacks through the strength of the Holy Spirit and the power of Scripture. “Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, ‘If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.’ But He answered and said, ‘It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’” Matthew 4: 3-4 (NASB).

Jesus had just finished a long period of fasting. He was hungry. He had intentionally depleted his physical body to transfer full dependence on God the Father.

That’s it. An intentional time of yes, self-sacrifice, in order to press into the Lord with all we’ve got. It’s a voluntary act of replacing something meaningful in our lives with more and more of Jesus. For you, that might be a true biblical fast from food for a period of time. For others you might give up social media or television, soda or even caffeine. Whatever the choice, the intent should remain the same; to take time dedicated to the thing you give up and place it into your relationship with Christ.

It’s a voluntary act of replacing something meaningful in our lives with more and more of Jesus.

God doesn’t ask us to fast so we can be miserable. He asks us to fast so that we can learn that He is more than capable of sustaining us in our every need. He doesn’t want us to suffer, but He invites us to discover that He offers joy and fulfillment that no food, or blog post, or giant Cherry Coke could ever match. So instead of thinking of fasting as suffering, we ought to think of it as a monumental invitation and opportunity to know Jesus Christ even more intimately. God can speak whenever and however He chooses, and our suffering is not a requirement for us to hear from Him. But you may just find that when you remove some distractions and press into Him with more focus, you are filled in a whole new way by the God of the universe that loves you most.