Fasting

Fasting

The least appealing of all spiritual disciplines, it saps energy, creates a dull pain in your stomach that seems to extend further throughout your body as the day progresses and ups your agitation levels. When I see the topic come up in videos, sermons or articles I veer away reflexively. 

I’ve put fasting off for a few years, but God has been putting it on my heart again. And I’ve been ignoring Him regarding this for a few months, but this week we’re finally here!

Honestly, its so good to fast again. It is a forgotten practice in much of the western church, however, I had good exposure to it during my university years through the church I attended in Pretoria. We last fasted before coming to the UK in our final months in South Africa and it preceded some breakthroughs in us getting to the UK.

I heard someone speak recently on Jesus’s response to his disciples over the man with the demon possessed son. He says to them about their failure to make a dent: “This kind can only be driven out through fasting and prayer”. The preacher I was listening to concluded there are probably also things in your life that are not going to be moved without fasting and prayer. There are kinds that are not budging without it.

Fasting connects us to God in a special way. Its like raising a flag for the power and presence of God. For God himself to show up and intervene. He loves it. I think it’s such a stark statement of intent and need because it is so tangible. God, we need you and want you enough to not eat for a day, please hear us.

This time around I also see it’s not a charged-up version of strong-arming God or struggling to get his attention. I feel like he has led me to fast, he’s calling me to it. As usual he is the initiator, but he wants my response and attention. He wants to give something, and he wants to give it through prayer and fasting.

I think the challenge with spiritual disciplines is to not get stuck at the discipline being an end or the key. God wants us to devote ourselves to him, to intensify prayer and self-denial in seasons, but not for us to get better at these disciplines. These are doorways to connect us with something, with someone beyond ourselves. They don’t just unlock spiritual power. They get us to God himself. And that’s what we need more of, access to and sight of God himself.