Fasting: The discipline of Dependence
Introduction
Our second spiritual discipline this semester is the discipline of fasting. It’s a discipline that’s not often discussed in the church (unless you proclaim you’re fasting from social media), but both the Old and New Testaments talk about it quite a bit.
In this blog post, we’ll explore what it is, what it looks like for us today, and why it really is so important to consistently practice it.
What is fasting?
Fasting doesn’t just mean to stop eating certain unhealthy foods or quitting social media, even though most of the times in the bible people did fast from foods. Moses, Elijah, Esther, Ezra, Job, David, Daniel, Peter, Paul, even Jesus … fasted. The main purpose of these fasts is to draw nearer to God. We refrain from something that is gratifying to our physical self to make the statement and agreement with God that our spiritual self is more important. One of the most famous fasts in scripture is Daniel’s fast. Daniel chose not to eat the food that was fit for royalty as the others did, he instead chose to eat seeds, nuts, vegetables, fruit, and things of the like as a statement to set himself apart and also to just further trust in God. You can continue to see it even in Jesus’ life as he fasted for 40 days. Fasting is a sign of submission, it allows the person to rely on God for their strength rather than food or something else. It also trains us to trust in God as our strength in overcoming these fleshly desires.
What does it look like for us?
Fasting can look any number of different ways for us. The primary thing is that you’re giving something up that you’re dependent on for a specific amount of time so that instead you can focus on prayer to the King.
You can fast from food, coffee, your bed, social media, or anything else that you find yourself dependent on. While I know many people do social media fasts, I would encourage you to actually fast from food. Social media isn’t a necessity (neither can it really even be described as a “good” thing), but food is. Going without food will require you to depend much more on God and will make you recognize how much you already have been dependent on him.
The amount of time you fast can differ depending on the circumstances. Perhaps you have a life-changing decision coming up, or you are battling something huge. You may want to fast for an entire week to devote yourself to prayer. Of course, before you do anything that large, we recommend you start smaller. It’s best to work your way up so that you don’t spend that time merely feeling frustrated and complaining. Going without food is hard! You have to get adjusted so that you truly can dedicate yourself to prayer and meditation.
What we strongly recommend is making fasting a part of your rhythm of life. Set aside one day a month, or better yet, one day a week, to fast. We find that the best way to approach a fast is from sundown to sundown. It won’t be easy. You’ll almost assuredly have to alter your schedule for it. But then again, fasting is a discipline. It isn’t supposed to be easy. But it’s worth it.
Ultimately, the goal of fasting is to spend that time instead in dedicated prayer. We often seem to overlook the crucial importance and power of prayer (more in that in an upcoming prayer blog post), but never forget, it is communication with the living God, the Creator of the entire world. Don’t fill up the time you gain from not eating or not using social media with something else like watching Netflix or even reading a book. Use this time to read Scripture, meditate, and pray to the King.
Why practice fasting?
The truth of the world is that God sustains everything. The truth of our lives is that we are completely and utterly dependent on him in every moment of every day. However, we don’t often recognize those truths. When you always have a full refrigerator and a warm house, it’s quite easy to forget that you’re dependent on God. It’s deadly easy to think and believe that you alone are sufficient and you alone can provide for all of your needs.
Fasting, then, reminds us of what is already true. When we attempt to go through a normal day of life without food, we recognize how dependent we are on God. Without food, it’s easy to become tired and grumpy. You cannot exercise as hard, and you can’t think as clearly. Yet when we fast, we are commanded to act as if we weren’t fasting. No one but ourselves and God should know. We are forced then to depend on God simply to go throughout the course of the day. This discipline makes it obvious that we truly do need him in every moment.
Furthermore, fasting allows us to remove distractions and focus on prayer. During the times that might normally be filled with eating food, scrolling through social media, drinking coffee, or a whole host of other things, we can instead dedicate ourselves to communication with the living God. What more needs to be said?
Finally, fasting helps you become more thankful. When you give up something good, you realize how blessed you were to have it in the first place. Compared to much of the world, a full refrigerator, a daily latte, and a soft bed are all luxuries. Living without them for any amount of time will begin to reorient your perspective towards one of gratitude and, hopefully, generosity.
Conclusion
Fasting is probably one of the hardest of the spiritual disciplines. But it is both important and good. It forces us into the realization that we are totally and completely dependent on God for every last thing within our lives.
You don’t have to start huge, but we encourage you to start somewhere with your fasting. If you make fasting a part of your life rhythm, it will be life-changing. It will focus your heart, mind, and eyes that much more on the King and his kingdom.