TO FAST OR NOT TO FAST

TO FAST OR NOT TO FAST
or, do not decide to fast, too fast…

Do we or do we not have to fast? Jesus never commanded fasting, but he did speak of it as an existing custom. He approved of it, although his disciples did not fast during his stay on earth. But they fasted after he left them to go to heaven. Fasting usually is combined with prayer.

What is Fasting?
To put it simply, fasting is abstinence from anything legitimate for the sake of some special spiritual purpose. Normally, fasting is an abstinence from food, but it could be any other useful activity. Remember what young Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego did in the court of King Nebuchadnezzar? Daniel and his three friends abstained from the royal food and wine and limited themselves to vegetables and water (Dan 1:8-14).

Jesus never commanded fasting, but he did approve of it. Jesus fasted for 40 days before he entered his ministry. He found it important in order to prepare for God’s work he would do. Should we then not benefit from it as well?

But if we do it, we never do it out of a sense of duty or obligation. It is not something we do because someone tells us to do it. It is something we want to do, freely, of our own will. It should be spontaneous, something that arises from our heart.

An example of fasting.
I have to mention Nineveh. A reluctant Jonah announced that Nineveh had forty days to repent or it would be destroyed. Remember what happened? The result was nothing short of amazing:

(Jonah 3:5-9) The Ninevites believed God. They declared a fast, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth. (6) When the news reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, took off his royal robes, covered himself with sackcloth and sat down in the dust. (7) Then he issued a proclamation in Nineveh: "By the decree of the king and his nobles: Do not let any man or beast, herd or flock, taste anything; do not let them eat or drink. (8) But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth. Let everyone call urgently on God. Let them give up their evil ways and their violence. (9) Who knows? God may yet relent and with compassion turn from his fierce anger so that we will not perish."

I am having an awfully hard time trying to imagine this kind of response in Pretoria, Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban. But we most probably need it as desperately as Nineveh did.

Purpose of Fasting
Fasting comes under the general heading of discipline. Are we able to discipline ourselves to the point where we can say "No" to bodily appetites and desires? Is our stomach our God? Or, is our God the Lord almighty? That's the question. Are we able to control our cravings or do they control us? Remember what Jesus said: (Mt 16:24) "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”

Fasting in the Bible was always combined with prayer. What it comes down to is that fasting aids or helps or assists our prayer life. It seems that when the stomach is full, the body and mind are less able to concentrate on spiritual things. Fasting actually expresses a hunger for God. We abstain from food and other things so we can better concentrate on God and the things of God.

Fasting is also an expression of sorrow for sin. That was certainly the case with Nineveh, David, and others. Those who sin want to fast as a sign of their repentance. They want to show outwardly the inner sorrow and grief that they feel.

Fasting is also a sign of our unworthiness. It is a sign that we deserve nothing, not even the food we eat, the water we drink, or the air we breathe. Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to God that made us! It suits us then to humble ourselves before God to confess our national sins, and to pray for mercy and forgiveness.

Fasting may sometimes be the vehicle to express our emotional pain to God. (Think of Job – for example chapter 42) It is to wrestle with God, because we have unanswered questions about our life and the pain that is part of it.

The Manner of Fasting
The Pharisees boasted that they fasted twice a week. And, so that all would know they were fasting, they would wear old clothes and wouldn't wash their face or anoint themselves with oil or perfume. Jesus advised: Don't be like the Pharisees when you fast. Act natural. It is a very personal matter between you and God and should come from your heart, your soul, your spirit. It must be personal, sincere and authentic.

Fasting is about something between you and God. He who sees the heart will bless you and answer you!!