Fasting

“Yet even now,”declares the Lord, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning (Joel 2:12, English Standard Version).”  The concept of fasting is a foreign one in our food, sex, and materialistic obsessed society, yet in Joel the Lord seems to be instructing his people to fast.  Is this an important part of spirituality and connection with God that we miss out on?

Who in the bible fasted?  Ezra fasted with the people of Israel to pray for a safe journey. Nehemiah fasted in response to hearing of Jerusalem being defeated in battle and to bring back the people’s hearts to God.  David fasted while petitioning God to save his son who was sick.  Esther asked all the Jews to fast with her for three days before she went to the king to save her people.  The nation of Israel had several times a year they would honor God by fasting.  Darius and Daniel prayed earnestly while fasting.  Jesus fasted for forty days and nights before beginning his ministry.  He also taught on fasting in three of the gospels: Matthew, Mark, and Luke.  Paul and Disciples would appoint leaders and send out missionaries with prayer and fasting. Today many Christians, especially the Catholic Church, celebrate Lent as a way to prepare their hearts for celebrating Easter by having a special time of fasting. 

Today during lent people will often give up a part of their lives that is important to them. Some will give up chocolate or sweets, watching television, eating meat, or a social media such as Facebook.  It this true fasting?  It might be in a way.  In 1 Corinthians 7:5 Paul talks about a husband and wife abstaining from sex for a time for prayer. “5 Do not deprive one another, except perhaps by agreement for a limited time, that you may devote yourselves to prayer; but then come together again, so that Satan may not tempt you because of your lack of self-control (ESV).”  Sex seems to be one of the biggest pleasures that people might deprive themselves. Sex and food are under the most basic of needs according to Maslow’shierarchy of needs.  Fasting of any kind in the Bible seems to be taking away one or more of life basic needs.  Whether food, sex, or sleep all of these are taken away to bring the fasters attention back to God.  

Why should we deprive ourselves from our most basic needs? Does this not seem to go againstnature’s natural way?  Biblical fasting seems to fall into a few categories according to Wayne Grudem, “in times of intensive intercession, repentance, worship, and seeking of guidance (1994).”  Grudem goes on to give several benefits that Christians receive from fasting: relying on the Lord, coming to God with proper humility, self-discipline, “heightens the focus and mental alertness”, helps the faster express “earnestness and urgency” in prayer.   Even though fasting is depriving the body of basic needs, it does so to aid in the way and attitude that is brought to God. Christians rarely, if ever, fully grasp their need for God and the relationship with Him. Fasting shows the sincerity of a person’s prayer as well as give the prayer the focus and attention it deserves.  Scot McKnight states in his book Fasting, “fastingis the natural inevitable response of a person to a grievous sacred moment in life.” 

McKnight is also careful to point out that we are not trading physical comfort for something we want. God will not always give what is asked for in prayer accompanied by fasting.  Fasting to get what we want or to appear holy is the wrong motivation.  In Isaiah 58 God admonishes Israel for not observing a holy fast day with the right motivation.  In Matthew 6:16-18 Jesus teaches on fasting.  Jesus had just taught on how to pray and given the Lords prayer, as prayer should be a part of fasting this correlation is important. He now says: 

“And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”

Fasting is part of being holy and set apart for God.  It should not be a work done to impress other men or a way to oppress others.  

To sum up the points explored in this paper, I would say my research has brought a couple of ideas on fasting. Fasting should be to supplement prayer. It should always be hand in hand with prayer.  Fasting should be of a significant and basic necessity.  What is given up shows the level of sincerity that the prayer towards the prayer.  Jesus, when he preached on fasting in the New Testament, seemed to assume that Christians would fast and the Old Testament commanded people to fast.  Lastly fast in a way that is humbly before God and not a spiritual show before people.  "Ultimately we fast simply because we want God more than we want anything this world has to offer us (J. Piper, 1997).”