“You cannot fast as you do today and expect your voice to be heard on high.” (Isaiah 58:4)
I once had a situation where I was convicted to approach a friend about something he was doing that was hurting his Christian witness. I was uncomfortable about the whole thought of it and consulted my pastor. His advice: “Commit one day to prayer and fasting”.
Well, I certainly understood the value of prayer in such matters, but why should I fast? I had never fasted in my life for any reason except to lose weight and that did not work for very long.
I realized from that experience that most Christians do not appreciate or understand the value of fasting. Frankly, I saw it as nothing more than an ancient practice that had no application in today’s world. However, I soon learned that I had attached a mantle of arrogance to the practice of fasting. The fact is our Lord frequently fasted, once for forty days and forty nights. So if we want to our lives to show more of Christ in us, then we had better not dismiss fasting as some empty ritual that gives more points for style than it does for substance. The truth is fasting – when coupled with prayer – offers a powerful opportunity for an even deeper relationship with God.
The Bible tells us that fasting can help us to shape our relationship with God. Yet, it should never be used in an effort to impress others. Jesus said, “When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full.” (Matthew 6:16)
Fasting really has more to do with humility than it does with food. The Bible tells us repeatedly that humility is a virtue for which we should strive. In fact, Jesus’ half-brother, James, hit the nail on the head when he said, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble”. (James 4:6) So while the world often stands in awe of the proud, we need to remember that God favors the humble. The problem is that while humility is a godly quality, it doesn’t come supernaturally like meekness. It only comes through practice.
When we fast, we are putting the act of humility into practice. Outwardly, we deny ourselves something as basic as food. But inwardly, we deny ourselves much more than food. Fasting is a spiritual acknowledgment that it is God who sustains life, not food. And only through a deep and obedient relationship with God – through prayer and fasting – can we ever fully understand his purpose for our lives.
Confederate General Robert E. Lee attended the dedication of the child of a close friend and was asked what advice he could offer to the parents. Lee, a devoted Christian, not only gave careful instruction to that family about raising a godly child, but gives great advice to all of us when we scoff at the notion fasting: “Teach him to deny himself”.
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