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Then John’s disciples came to Jesus and asked, ‘Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples don’t fast?’ Jesus said to them, ‘The wedding guests cannot mourn while the bridegroom is with them, can they? But the days are coming when the bridegroom will be taken from them, and then they will fast.’”
matthew 9v14-15
NET
Introduction
Some have exalted religious fasting beyond all Scripture and reason; others have utterly disregarded it.
john wesley
What is it
Fasting is best summarised as willingly abstaining from eating for a defined period of time for a spiritual purpose.1 It may be a practice you are wholly unfamiliar with, or a practice you are suspicious or even fearful of. Historically it has been one of the core practices the church and followers of Jesus have used in their discipleship.
The practice of biblical fasting stands apart from other practices of abstaining from food such as hunger strikes, which seek to gain political power, or health dieting, which stresses the physical implications. Rather, biblical fasting must always be focused on spiritual purposes.2
1
Oyewole Akande, Does Fasting Seem Strange to you?, https://africa.thegospelcoalition.org/article/does-fasting-seem-strange-to-you/
2
Richard Foster, Celebration of Discipline, 61.
Why we should do it
Our society is obsessed with the things of the flesh, not just food, but excess, luxury, and addiction. For many of us, the desires of our bodies hold power over us. But fasting, at its root, is a habit of self-denial, not as an end in itself but for a spiritual purpose.
We must understand the distinction here. We practice abstaining from food, not because food itself is bad (rather quite the contrary!) but to highlight our longing for Jesus and recognise his ultimate sufficiency. Indeed, when practising fasting, an individual, or a community, will use the time not spent eating in prayer or scripture reading - that is, feasting on the word of God. Fasting is feasting!3
Fasting is also our response to God and our need for him. It can be a worshipful response, an expression of repentance, a response to a moment or situation where we must earnestly seek God, a response to the need for greater spiritual discipline, or it may even be a response to pursue justice and righteousness (Isaiah 58 v6-7). In fact, throughout the gospel accounts fasting is mentioned in the same breath as prayer and/or worship (Acts 13 v2, Mark 9 v29)
In all of this, the ultimate goal of fasting is to deeply and intentionally commune with God, to grow in devotion and love for him. C.H. Spurgeon, a minister in Victorian London, once wrote: “Our seasons of fasting and prayer at the Tabernacle have been high days indeed; never has Heaven’s gate stood wider; never have our hearts been nearer the central Glory.”4
3
Foster, Celebration, 67.
4
Charles H. Spurgeon, Lectures To My Students: The Minister’s Private Prayer
1
Identify a specific purpose
What is your spiritual focus for this time? Another way to think of this is: ‘What am I attempting to respond to in this period of fasting?’
2
Plan Ahead
Make sure to take time to pray and read the Word.
See if there is a certain passage of Scripture you want to focus on. This could be connected to your spiritual purpose.
3
Commit to a time period
As with all spiritual disciplines, slow progression should be followed. Take small steps seeing it as something you can grow into.
Start by skipping one or two meals, then afterwards you could progress to a partial 24hr fast, i.e., lunch to lunch, or dinner to dinner.
4
Understand your weakness
While fasting, especially at the start, pay attention to the times of the day that feel particularly challenging - take note of these to help with your future fasts.
5
Set it as Rhythm
Pick one of the days of your week that is naturally a little lighter, with less outward demand on you.
6
Review it
This will be especially important during your first couple of times practising. Ask yourself simple questions about your experience. What areas, if any, were enjoyable? What areas, if any, were challenging? Did you keep connected to your spiritual purpose? What can you learn from this for next time?
7
Consider Community
Consider if there is one friend who can keep you accountable.
Additionally, practising these disciplines within community can help keep you accountable to the completion of it, and keep you focused on your spiritual purpose. You and a group of friends or your Community Group could fast one day a week together.
8
Enjoy it. God’s grace is unconditional.
This is a time to feast on God’s Word and delight in his presence, not an act of self-deprivation.
9
Break it with a feast!
If practising with others, try and break it together with a shared meal.
Cautionary Comment
Breaking a fast early can cause sincere feelings of guilt and shame. Achieving a fast can cause feelings of pride, as though you’ve earned some favour with God. Beware of these pitfalls on either side of the practice. God’s grace is always for you, as is his favour.