Last week i wrote about prayer (you can read it below). But we’ve been seeking Christ with a little something more than prayer, haven’t we? We’ve been praying and fasting for Clayton’s healing. And i’ve had the same questions about Fasting as i did about Prayer: Why should we fast? Does it add anything extra to my prayer, or is God somehow happier with fasting than He is with just prayer without fasting? What’s so special about it? And if my prayers are somehow better when i fast, then how often should i fast? And what exactly is fasting? Is it the same for me to give up a TV show as it is for me to give up a meal?
These questions have echoed in my head a lot this month, so i looked into it. i asked around to a few different believers, i asked God to give me wisdom about it, and also searched how fasting was done in the Bible. i’d like to share with you what i’ve learned and have come to believe.
First of all, a parable:
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| "This is Remax...You'd like to buy which property?!" |
Life in Christ is like $100billion hidden in the wall of an old house. One day a man happened to find it! So he hid it again, and then in his excitement went and sold everything he had and bought that old house, property and all! (see Matthew 13:44)
Can you imagine finding something so valuable, so rare that you’re willing to forfeit everything else you have just to get that one thing? Sure it seems unlikely that you’ll ever find $100billion – let alone $5! – in an old house. But think about it; don’t you have things in your life that are like that, or that you imagine will be like that if it ever came up? It seems worthless or common to outsiders, but you know its hidden worth. Most of us live out this principle all the time, or we know someone who does:
-A kid who loves to ride his bike, but finds a bike that puts all others to shame. So he runs home to sell all his things – including the bike he already has – just to get the best one.
-A guy finds the girl of his dreams, so he gives up chasing any other girl just so he can be with this one, because she’s the one he was looking for.
-A dad who’s not rich but owns a ‘70’s model Corvette Stingray as an heirloom. When his daughter tells him she wants more than anything to be a doctor, he gladly sells the car to pay for her med-school.
-The owner of a construction company who became super rich by his business, but finds it boring, unfulfilling, and meaningless. Then he goes on a mission trip to one of the poorest places in Mexico and discovers the excitement of building homes for orphans and widows, so in his Joy he sells his company, moves his family to Mexico, and uses every last peso build good homes for the needy (i know a guy & family who really did this).
These stories, in a nutshell, tell the Gospel of Jesus Christ. A person desires God more than anything else, so they just let go of the rest to gain Him.
It’s simple, it’s beautiful, and it’s perfect. It’s Jesus’ Kingdom. It’s the kind of sacrifice that doesn’t seem like much of a sacrifice in light of the reward. Difficult? Usually. Painful? Of course! Worth it? Every time.
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| We are now entering the eye of the needle. |
It’s the kind of life Jesus was calling the young man to after he asked the Master what he should do to gain Eternal Life. Jesus said, “Sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you’ll have treasure in Heaven. Then come, follow me” (Matthew 19:16-30). The young man just walked away, saddened, because he was rich. BUT it’s also the same life Zacchaeus the crooked tax collector found when he left his “good” to gain Jesus’ best. Upon receiving salvation, Zacchaeus proclaimed, “Look, Lord! Right here and now i give half of my possessions to the poor, and if i have cheated anybody out of anything, i will pay back four times the amount!” (Luke 19:1-10) He had simply found something so valuable that nothing else mattered. Nothing.
The crazy thing is, once we find this Life in Christ and actually sell out to Him, He leads us to keep sacrificing the rest of our lives – continually giving up our good to get His best. Some call it a Sacrificial Lifestyle. You can see traces of it when you remember how Christ has helped you do the right thing during tough times. You remember those times, right? Can’t you trace the sacrifices that God has called you to make as you’ve walked with Him? Think about them. Go on, right now, and remember the Holy sacrifices God led you to – those times you sold all you had because you wanted to buy the house with the hidden fortune. Remember? They were tough. They broke you, and sometimes confused you. They made other people look at you and say, “Are you crazy?!” You questioned whether or not it was worth it. But if you were walking by faith and those sacrifices were for Christ, then they were probably some of the best times of your life too! They caused you to Trust Christ more than you thought possible. i know this has been true for me. The pain just made me want to bury my tear-soaked face deep into my Father’s chest. Remember those times of intimacy with the Master? Through all the toughness He comforted and matured you. In your brokenness He held you together. For the confusion He gave you Peace. Amid the doubters and haters, He gave you grace and humility. And this is exactly why Scripture encourages us to endure – not avoid or run away from – hardships (Hebrews 12:7); to consider it pure Joy when we face a variety of trials (James 1:2); to rejoice when we participate in the sufferings of Christ (1 Peter 4:13). Do you see? These pains are a cheap payment compared to what we receive when His Glory is revealed.
And this, in essence, is Fasting. Fasting, as depicted in the Bible, is when a believer voluntarily abstains from food for spiritual purposes. Do what?! “Abstains from food”, meaning “doesn’t eat”? Yep. The believer shows they want God more than they want food, so they gladly sacrifice it to seek Him, despite the hunger pains.
i’m not talking about a diet, and we don’t Fast just to show people that we’re “Holy” or strong; God forbid that. We Fast because we’re hungrier for God than for food. It’s another way the disciple of Christ says, “Lord, this food isn't my life; You Are my Life."
Now i’ve talked a lot about sacrifices, and perhaps you've thought of the kind we believers make all the time for God, from Fasting to tithing to taking time to read your Bible, etc. So let me be clear about something: for a disciple of Christ, Fasting isn’t the sacrifice; Fasting helps remind me that i am the sacrifice. When we push aside the plate, we tangibly show God that our whole lives are His – not just a meal or a day or a possession or an amount – but everything.
Christ leads us into a Sacrificial Lifestyle. But that doesn’t mean we give Him things He doesn’t already own (as if God really needs us – HA!). As followers of Christ He already owns all our stuff; we literally own nothing. Literally. Nothing. Think about it. You don’t really own anything. Everything you have was given to you to watch over, and God has the right to take it as quickly as He gave it because it’s His. We get impatient when people take “our” time; we feel stingy when “our” food gets eaten; we want to be happy in “our” jobs; always forgetting that every single thing you have, right down to your haircut and the laces on your shoes and your current inhale/exhale and the minutes you’ve been sitting there at the computer, is an extravagant gift from God. You don’t sacrifice anything for God; you are the sacrifice, and you’re Alive to worship Him.
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| Don't overdo it. |
So even if what i’ve written is all fine and good, there are still a lot of questions, namely What does the Bible say about Fasting? That’ll come in part 2. For now, stay faithful to Pray and Fast for Clayton’s healing from cancer, asking that God will use Clay’s ongoing testimony to bring Christ Glory! Don’t forget to abstain from food on your designated day to Fast, and ask God to give you a bigger appetite for Him than for food!
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