Fasting from the Chaos
Today I'm starting a fast.
As a child, I watched my mom fast occasionally, but never asked her why. To me, fasting was something that was optional or only for the super-spiritual.
I was raised in the church and reading scripture, so I was well aware of the concept of fasting. But abstaining from food, or anything else of interest, was never something I considered doing.
I had my first experience with fasting six years ago. Our church called a twenty-one day fast and we were very involved, so I felt a little obligated. We were instructed to focus our prayers on one or two specific ways in which we wanted to see God move. That year, we were planning to move to Thailand to teach. Our school couldn't pay us, so we had to raise donations. We knew this was a door that God had opened for us, but raising the money was difficult. So we decided to focus our prayers on provision, specifically the provision for our stint overseas.
Those twenty-one days were challenging but groundbreaking for my faith.
God provided our necessary funds shortly thereafter, which was an answer to prayer. But the abstinence from some of my most basic desires had brought me to a place of peace and intimacy with God. Even though our lives were in a state of transition, I was more content with the present. Drawing closer to Him had calmed me in a time of chaos.
My favorite example of scripture's nod to the power of fasting is in Mark 9. A man brought his afflicted son to Jesus's disciples, asking that they cast out the unclean spirit. The disciples were unable to do it and when Jesus returned, He was frustrated and did it Himself. When the disciples asked about why they had failed, Jesus' response was that this kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting. (Disclaimer: some manuscripts omit the term "fasting" from this chapter.)
When I read that, I think the importance of fasting is obvious. There are some things that just won't happen without prayer and fasting.
That's why I think I was so excited when our pastor called for a fast this week. The focus of the fast doesn't matter so much to me because I know from experience that God will show up and move. Instead, I am in anxious anticipation of going deeper into the peaceful presence of the living God.
As a child, I watched my mom fast occasionally, but never asked her why. To me, fasting was something that was optional or only for the super-spiritual.
I was raised in the church and reading scripture, so I was well aware of the concept of fasting. But abstaining from food, or anything else of interest, was never something I considered doing.
I had my first experience with fasting six years ago. Our church called a twenty-one day fast and we were very involved, so I felt a little obligated. We were instructed to focus our prayers on one or two specific ways in which we wanted to see God move. That year, we were planning to move to Thailand to teach. Our school couldn't pay us, so we had to raise donations. We knew this was a door that God had opened for us, but raising the money was difficult. So we decided to focus our prayers on provision, specifically the provision for our stint overseas.
Those twenty-one days were challenging but groundbreaking for my faith.
God provided our necessary funds shortly thereafter, which was an answer to prayer. But the abstinence from some of my most basic desires had brought me to a place of peace and intimacy with God. Even though our lives were in a state of transition, I was more content with the present. Drawing closer to Him had calmed me in a time of chaos.
My favorite example of scripture's nod to the power of fasting is in Mark 9. A man brought his afflicted son to Jesus's disciples, asking that they cast out the unclean spirit. The disciples were unable to do it and when Jesus returned, He was frustrated and did it Himself. When the disciples asked about why they had failed, Jesus' response was that this kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting. (Disclaimer: some manuscripts omit the term "fasting" from this chapter.)
When I read that, I think the importance of fasting is obvious. There are some things that just won't happen without prayer and fasting.
That's why I think I was so excited when our pastor called for a fast this week. The focus of the fast doesn't matter so much to me because I know from experience that God will show up and move. Instead, I am in anxious anticipation of going deeper into the peaceful presence of the living God.
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