The first of January,
before Covid, I decided to make 2020 the
year of my spiritual growth spurt. My
word of the year is Immanuel, God with us. The chorus that kept running though
my mind was “I’m hungry for a mighty move of God. . . I long to see the hand of
God move mightily, inside of me.” Be
careful what you ask for. I didn’t
really want it to happen this way.
Covid, racial unrest, a planner full of cancelled stickers, but it is
happening.
One of my home
churches asked the congregation to fast this week. They usually do 14 days of
fasting at the beginning of the year but we can all agree on the need to
revisit that this year. I’ve read,
listened, and studied about fasting in an effort to understand it and frankly,
get something out of it. Most teachings
concentrate on giving up food, praying during meal time and seeing God
move. That hasn’t been my
experience. Fasting frustrates me, I
get hungry, really hangry. I try to pray
during meal times but I’m not sure how to pray.
I struggle that my longest, hardest fast was unsuccessful. At least from the standpoint of getting what
I wanted.
So, as I am likely
to do; I got out my Bible, my commentary website and a pad of paper to study fasting. again.
In the Old Testament, fasting is mentioned in regard to trouble. Joel, Daniel, Nehemiah and Esther all called
the people to fast when they were in trouble.
It was always accompanied with weeping, mourning, and sorrow. They fasted in hope of deliverance. In the New Testament, fasting illustrates an
intense prayer. Anna fasted in prayer
to live to see the Messiah. Matthew
warned Christians to fast in private and not put on a show like the Pharisees. Paul and Barnabus were fasting when they
received specific directions. When the
disciples were unable to cast out a demon, Jesus said, “But an evil spirit of
this kind is only driven out by prayer and fasting.” (Matthew 17:21 Weymouth New Testament). Ellicott says the “intensity of evil demanded
fasting”. Tough situations must be met
with fasting. Our spiritual life and
faith are made stronger by self-denial and communion with God (Cambridge study
Bible).
We understand “fasting” as willfully giving up
food or pleasures for a specified time. So, we give up lunch every day for a week and
we pray during our lunch hour and God answers our prayers. Done! So why are our prayers still unanswered? God’s chosen people, the Israelites, had the
same experience. Their fasting didn’t
seem to change anything and they complained about it. Isaiah 58:3-7 addressed their
complaints.
Isaiah pointed out six reasons that their fasting did not result in answers. I wonder if these are relevant to us.
1. In
their fast, there was no repentance or call to repentance. (I have never heard
a speaker include repentance in their call for a fast).
2. Unforgiveness We know prayers are hindered when we harbor
unforgiveness against someone. Matthew 5:24.
3. Wrong Motives
Why are fasting? What do we hope
to gain? Every fast I have ever participated in was
for something I wanted badly. Is that a ‘right’
motive?
4. Hypocrisy,
going through the motions with no real repentance. Fasting because everybody else is and making
sure they know I’m doing it too, Pride?
5. Good
Works must follow the fast. Fasting
approved by God will be followed by “deeds of justice, kindness and
charity.” (Barnes)
6. The
fast does not result in a changed heart.
They had all the outward dressings of the fast but there was no change
in their hearts.
Fasting that the Lord accepts must be devoid of pride. Matthew Henry says, “If it (a fast) does not
express true sorrow for sin and does not promote the putting away of sin, it is
not a fast.” A fast is about the heart, not the
stomach. A fast requires self-denial of
food but also denial of worldly desires.
John Piper says we must fast “for our own holiness”. True fasting must include a change of heart
which results in changed behavior.
Thinkin’ ‘bout that.
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