| You’ve heard Bible teachers say it before: Jesus doesn’t say if you fast but when you fast. For the Christian, fasting is not an option. It is a spiritual discipline our Lord expects us to practice. It seems Jesus is always getting us to do physical things to make a spiritual point.
Fasting reveals the stuff inside us. It shows us what we are made of, what we prize and prefer. When we abstain from food (or observe some other “fast” in which we refuse ourselves physical fulfillment), the stuff of which we’re made will show itself. You will see it, be confronted by it, and have to deal with it. When midafternoon comes and you want a Burger King Whopper so bad you can taste it, you’ll have to stop and think, Am I going to cave in, or am I going to let these urges drive me to the Lord in prayer?
It’s irritating. It’s stressful. Often the Whopper wins. God notes, “Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife…You cannot fast as you do today and expect your voice to be heard on high” (Isa. 58:4). Food is basic to our existence (little wonder we get irritated), and when we remove ourselves from food, it’s a way of getting down to the real basics of our existence—God himself.
Fasting is a way of reminding ourselves just how essential God is. It’s a way of putting our love for God to the test, not so much to show God we love him but to prove to ourselves the extent of our love. Carve out a day this week and say no to food and yes to more soulful, powerful praying and deeper intimacy with your Savior.
Lord, when I fast this month (not if), please reveal yourself to me in a fresh way. Thank you that I live not by bread alone but by the Bread of Life. |
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