THE POINT OF FASTING
Sarah Sloan
Today's Scripture: “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.” Matthew 6:16, ESV
Theme: Fasting, for the sake of showing others your super-spirituality, is sinful and distasteful to God.
BECAUSE GOD SAID SO
In the past year, I have had some small health issues that have caused me to dive into the practice of fasting. Specifically, I had a follow-up MRI scheduled and I heard God tell me to fast until the MRI. I have to tell you that I was not really on board with fasting at the time. Actually, that might be the understatement of the year. I used to tell people I had no self- control when it came to food until a good friend confronted me about this and reminded me that self-control is a Fruit of the Spirit. And if I was a Christ-follower with the Holy Spirit living within me, then I had self-control at my disposal and I should walk in such a way as to live that out in my life. Talk about conviction!
Still, up to that point in my life, I had done only a very few 24-hour fasts. I didn’t know a ton at the time about what science had to say about fasting, but I knew it was something that God calls us to do in the Bible. So, I decided to take God at His Word and follow through on what He was saying to me. I ended up doing a six-day fast. I wanted to tell everyone about it, because I had no idea that I had the ability to do something like that. I was so proud. And yet, my pride and self-focus distracted me from what was truly significant.
It was during this time of fasting that I needed God so deeply, I relied on Him so heavily, I prayed and prayed over my health and my heart, and I spent time in worship. It was a beautiful time of closeness with my Savior, and I experienced energy and mental clarity like I hadn’t felt in years. It was also in this season that God healed me, and my scans came back clear.
SCIENCE AGREES
Since then, I’ve studied intermittent fasting, 24-hour fasts, longer fasts, and cyclic fasting. What I have found is that both fasting and feasting are part of the rhythm that God set up for us as humans to maximize our health, dependence on Him, and delight in life. The cool thing is that science validates the Bible. When you look at the scientific evidence on feasting and fasting, you find that these cycles allow our cells to begin the process of autophagy or cell recycling and the regeneration of stem cells. Isn’t it amazing that the One who created our bodies also gave us a guidebook on how they would best function?
However, as is human nature, we often take the things that are meant for our good and pervert them. While God designated seasons for the Jewish people to celebrate with eating and feasting with loved ones, He also called them to regular intervals of fasting. We quickly turned feasting into an all day, everyday experience, instead of intervals of celebration. We seek the dopamine hit that food gives us instead of seeking God. We have neglected fasting and specifically fasting to focus on God.
In Jesus’ time, fasting was often misused to signify moral superiority. Fasting was never meant as a tool to draw attention to ourselves, our spirituality, our control over our bodies, or extreme focus on health. Since my healing, I find the struggle isn’t so much that I fast to show off for others; it is that I seek the health benefits instead of the heart benefits of connecting with God. Fasting provides us with an opportunity and the space for us to remember our need for Him. Every craving you feel as you fast should remind you of your dependence on the true Bread of Life. Fasting, in essence, reminds us of who we are when we stand before the throne of God.
Make It Personal: Maybe it’s time for you to try fasting as well. Maybe you are like I was, and you do not have much of a background with fasting. You can start with just skipping one meal and use that time to pray, sing worship songs, and read your Bible. Ask God to help you focus your mind and heart on Him and not on trying to impress others, trying to get healthy, or any other extrinsic motivation. When you feel hungry, remember that this is a reminder to focus your mind on God and thank Him for being the true Bread of Life.
Pray: God, thank You that You made food to be a gift and a delight for the body. Help me not to place it in a place of power in my life. Help me submit all of my desires, even those for food, to You. Help me bring all things in my life under Your authority. I recognize that You are the King and Ruler of my life. I want to submit to You and follow You in every way. Help me to seek to add fasting as a rhythm in my life as a form of worship to You. In Your name, Amen.
Read: Isaiah 58:3-4; Zechariah 7:4-6, 8:19; Daniel 9:3-5
Weekly Memory Verse: “Then Jesus told his disciples, ‘If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.’” Matthew 16:24, ESV