Some Thoughts On Fasting 

(An extended treatment on fasting follows this initial section.)

"Fasting is a means of humbling ourselves before God, letting Him know that we are willing to exchange physical comforts to seek Him for a spiritual feast! As a spiritual discipline, fasting is the act of abstaining from feeding the body in order to focus more fully on seeking God's face and feeding the spirit. This is a powerful discipline where God's Spirit is poured out upon us as we earnestly seek Him." ( http://www.fastingprayer.com/whatisfasting/index.html)

Please consider joining this season of prayer and fasting in some way. Consider the following suggestions for ways of participating in a time of fasting, in addition to the option of abstaining from food altogether:

• Refrain from eating one or two meals out of the three meals you would normally enjoy.
• Refrain from in-between meal snacks. Leave off desserts after meals.
• Abstain from a particular kind of food or drink that is one of your usual favorites (e.g., coffee for me).
• Abstain from an activity that you normally enjoy doing regularly (e.g., listening to music, exercising, watching TV, reading fiction, etc.).

No doubt you can think of other ways of denying yourself for a season, to seek the Lord and to help you focus your prayers.

Further Thoughts On Fasting 

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus assumes that those whose lives are dedicated to the kingdom of God will engage in prayer, giving, and fasting (6:16-18). In his teaching about fasting, Jesus provides several instructions and also a promise. The promise is often overlooked: "And your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you." Jesus' disciples can expect the Father to fulfill this promise.

But what is the purpose of fasting? I have found no better description of the purpose of fasting than these words from John Piper in his book on fasting, A Hunger for God: Desiring God through Prayer and Fasting (Crossway, 1997):

Christian fasting, at its root, is the hunger of a homesickness for God. … Half of Christian fasting is that our physical appetite is lost because our homesickness for God is so intense. The other half is that our homesickness for God is threatened because our physical appetites are so intense. In the first half, appetite is lost. In the second half, appetite is resisted. In the first, we yield to the higher hunger that is. In the second, we fight for the higher hunger that isn't. Christian fasting is not only the spontaneous effect of a superior satisfaction in God; it is also a chosen weapon against every force in the world that would take that satisfaction away. (14)

The reward for "hungering and thirsting after righteousness" is that we will be filled with whatever God our Father desires to give us. But his ultimate reward, his ultimate gift, is the fullness of himself. It is this fullness that we celebrate and seek as we engage in fasting.

Fasting may be defined as "the voluntary relinquishment of some otherwise good thing for a period of time in order to embrace a more spiritually urgent task." Although it is often associated with abstaining from food, fasting is not just about food. Fasting is about maintaining self-control over anything that is, or can be, a substitute for God. Even the good things God provides can compete for our devotion and affection for God.

Fasting, however, does not come naturally to those engulfed in a culture of excess and waste. We more often hear (and heed) the siren call to self-indulgence and hoarding than to self-control and contentment. Yet, when we learn to tune out the thousand invitations to distraction, we enter the calm silence that permits us, perhaps for the first time, to hear God's summons to come to his table, to taste of him, and learn that he is sweet.

If you hunger for more of God, if you want to experience contentment in knowing and being known by the Father, if you desire to follow the path of Jesus, the call to fasting is for you.

Whether you are considering fasting from food or something else, a few guidelines may help you get started:

• Plan to fast. Ask God to protect your planned time for his glory. If you are diabetic, hypoglycemic, prone to migraines, pregnant, taking medication, or have other conditions that make fasting from food problematic, consult a health professional. Fasting from food is not wise if you are recovering from sickness. Women should avoid fasting from food during their time of the month. If fasting from food is unwise, there are many other options you can choose. In determining that good thing that you intend to voluntarily relinquish, consider habits or interests in your life that you consider innocent pleasures. Perhaps you surround yourself with music, or have several favorite TV shows, or have a favorite "down time" or pastime for yourself. Anything like this is a good candidate from which to fast.
• Start small. As with all exercises, spiritual exercises require building up one's abilities. Jesus' 40-day fast in the wilderness was certainly not his first! A 12-hour food fast once a week is usually manageable for the beginner. A 12-hour fast would include a sensible breakfast and lunch, skipping dinner and the next morning's breakfast, and resuming with a light lunch. During your fast, you should drink as much water as you wish, perhaps adding some clear fruit juice (apple, peach, grape; but not orange or vegetable juice). Non-food fasters might also start with a 12-hour fast once a week. A small start for you will probably entail giving up control of your interests.
• Begin and end well. The meals before and after we fast should be smaller than usual and very light on fats, processed sugars, breading, and salt. The closer the foods are to their natural state, the better. A good preparatory breakfast would be a bowl of oatmeal, flavored with fruit or honey, apple sauce or a non-citrus fruit, whole-grain toast with a natural fruit spread, and a clear juice or low-fat milk. A good preparatory and finishing lunch would be a 3 ounce grilled chicken breast, steamed carrots and green beans (avoid broccoli, cauliflower, and brussels sprouts-they produce gas), and a clear, non-caffeinated beverage. Since non-food fasting requires much less body preparation, this guideline doesn't apply well.
• Expect difficulties. Even a 12-hour fast (during which you sleep most of the time) can be difficult for beginners. Since the experience is new, more time is often spent thinking about what one is relinquishing instead of what one is embracing. This is to be expected. Feeling hungry sooner and more sharply is common. Our stomachs can behave like unruly children until they are trained. When your mind wanders to how hungry you feel, commit the feeling to God and ask for strength to fulfill your intention, drink some water, and continue your day. It is also common to experience moments of lightheadedness (move more slowly!) and irritability. Anticipate these and plan on how to deal with them. The difficulties for non-food fasters are often harder. In your attempts to avoid music, TV, or something else, there are invariably others willing to fill the silence you seek with what you seek to avoid. This requires patience and ingenuity on your part. You may have to alter your daily habits radically. Perhaps a way to deal with this is to become much more careful and critical of what you normally would do without thinking. Pray for guidance on how best to do this.
• Don't advertise. A common temptation for beginners is to announce to a few others that you are fasting. If you are invited to eat with someone, decline politely with "I appreciate your offer, but I have other plans. Can we do it some other time?" If some persist, a simple "I've decided not to eat right now. Let's do it later" often does the trick. I suggest that beginners avoid "going along but not eating." This temptation frequently is too strong to keep from breaking your promise to yourself and to God. At times, telling someone is unavoidable. If you are put on the spot, simply say, "I'm fasting until ___." Let this be the end of the matter. Non-food fasters will probably be unable to avoid telling others, especially at home. Remember: your chosen fast is between you and God; do not impose it on others. Find a more fruitful way to fill the time.
• Redeem the time. It is customary to use the time normally involved in eating (or whatever else) to focus on one's relationship with God. Private prayer, scripture reading, or serving others are good ways to spend this time. If the fasting is dedicated to seeking guidance, it is best to pray, read, and reflect on paper. Read, pray, listen, write. Those more practiced in fasting identify times of prayer and reflection as periods of significant spiritual growth and insight.
• Make it a holy habit. The spiritual benefits that accompany fasting are cumulative. Just as with physical exercise, exercising in the spirit takes time to produce the fruit of a deeper relationship with God, clearer vision of Kingdom priorities, and more intense care and love for one's companion humans made in God's image. Great spiritual examples from church history-Augustine of Hippo, Thomas Aquinas, Francis of Assisi, Theresa of Avila, Julian of Norwich, Hildegard of Bingen, Madame Guyon, John Wesley, George Fox, Evelyn Underhill, Thomas Merton, Henri Nouwen, and many others-testify unanimously to the rewards granted by the Father to those who make fasting a holy habit.

Fasting is a way that disciples of Jesus can become more intentional in their pursuit of godliness. As a community of believers at LCU, let us encourage one another in our desire for God to reveal himself among us. If I can be of any personal encouragement or assistance, please let me know. God bless you as you seek his face.

Brandon L. Fredenburg
Asst. Prof. of Biblical Studies