For the first time in my lifetime the idea of fasting is actually quite popular in our society and culture. More often placed within the phrasing “intermittent fasting” the idea of fasting has caught on for a lot of people who are looking at how to shape their bodies, curb their appetites and get healthier. Unfortunately, that has little to nothing to do with the spiritual context and design of Biblical fasting but that doesn’t mean there is no value in it or that there are not parallels we can draw.
Each year our church and our family take 21 days to fast and pray in order to better align ourselves with God’s heart and will. Today starts that season of fasting for us so fasting is on my mind. So, if fasting is something you are thinking about or trying in this season of your life (whether it has a spiritual connection for you or not), let me provide a few thoughts to consider.
The Meat and Potatoes of Fasting
While there are certainly health benefits to fasting and it is a great discipline to add to your life, the concept of fasting as a spiritual tool is ancient. In the Bible the primary word used for “fast” in Hebrew is צֹום (tzom) and it appears 26 times in the Old Testament alone (the concept of fasting shows up over 70x in the Bible). The main idea behind the word is “to abstain from food” and, quite literally, “to shut one’s mouth.” That’s an interesting thought when combined with the reason for fasting in the Bible, which is to commune with God. In order to commune with God more effectively, a person deprives themselves of food and looks to God to be their sustenance. And rather than discuss and debate with others about the issues they are facing they “shut their mouths” and talk to God instead. I think we could all benefit from doing both! (Click here to read my post God is For You Today)
Throughout the Bible we see so many examples of people fasting in order to connect with God, to contend for a breakthrough, or to confirm in their hearts God’s direction for their lives. Moses, King David, King Jehosophat, Ruth, Daniel, Ezra, Jesus and all the Disciples are only a few of the examples of people who fasted throughout the Scriptures. And while both the Old and New Testaments command and presuppose God’s people will fast, we haven’t seen it taught or demonstrated in the Western Church as much in modern times.
Out to Lunch
Like many things where the Church abdicates its position of authority, substitutes come in to fill the void. We see this with the rise in “spirituality” that is devoid of God’s truth. People are fascinated with the “supernatural” but do not associate that idea with the Judeo-Christian faith because many in the Church have set aside the realities of spiritual warfare, spiritual gifts, supernatural healings, miracles, etc in order to seem more rational and palatable to enlightened cultures and modern sensibilities. The net result is the same as it would be if you tried to define the game of baseball without including anything about the the ball, the bat or the bases. You could no more tell the difference between a game of baseball and a bunch of kids running around in a field if you remove the essence of what it is all about. The Christian faith is supernatural and yet it is not ethereal; it is both super and natural in the best senses of the words.
Fasting helps connect those two realities in ways few spiritual disciplines can. This is why Jesus commanded and demonstrated fasting in His life and ministry. One could argue that the Son of God was the least in need of communing with God in this way and yet he joins Moses in setting the grandest example of fasting in the Bible when he went into the wilderness and fasted for 40 days. If we are going to have the supernatural invade the ordinary we must also be willing to shut our mouths, set aside our cravings, and engage our relationship with God in such a way. While some will criticize this as a means of spiritual manipulation or attempts to strong-arm God into blessing us, those that catch the heart of the call while realize that is a near-sighted, empty view that cannot be sorted out through argument but through pure-hearted demonstration. (Click here to read my post Crafted By The Master’s Hand)
Let me encourage you in 2024 to “shut your mouth” at times, deny yourself, take up your cross, and press into the heart of God through fasting and prayer. Whether it is for one meal, one day, one week, or one month, it is my prayer that you will find the nearness of the Lord in fasting. And if you have never fasted before, let me invite you to join our church and our family as we set out on a 3 week journey starting today. At our church we call this season of fasting Selah and we have a series of podcasts we are relating through these 21 days to talk about this topic more.
From The Bible
“Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke?Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness[a] will go before you, and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard. Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I. – Isaiah 58:6-9 NIV
Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry. The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.” Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone.’ ” – Luke 4:1-4 NIV