Should Christians fast from time to time? I have always considered it an ‘optional extra’ for the very devout or utterly desperate. However, after reading a chapter from Richard Foster’s most excellent book ‘Celebration of Discipline’ on the matter, I’m having second thoughts. Am I just a soft modern westerner who fits well into our culture of indulging almost every little whim … a culture which I quite like, incidentally.
Allow me to think through this question in the format of this blog post. It helps me and it may give you some food for thought too … though ‘food’ for thought is probably not the best analogy. This blog post may give you ‘something to chew over’ perhaps. No, that doesn’t work either. Just think about it okay?
Fasting out of desperation
“Almighty God, you MUST step in and fix this problem. We are absolutely helpless. Only you can do this. Please, please, please, please, PLEASE.”
That was my prayer of desperation back in the year 2000, and it drove me to fasting. Was it an attempt to manipulate God? Perhaps, but I don’t think that was a problem. God knew my heart. My fast only lasted a few days. I was irritable and headachey and so run down that I succumbed to a nasty cold before I finished. But God stepped in and answered the prayers of many, mine included, and I will always be grateful.
For a while, in the early days of my work in Asia, I used to regularly fast for 2/3 of the day once a week. (I had one small meal on that day). It was a good habit. Chinese is one of the hardest languages in the world to learn (see footnote 1) and I was desperate. Hence the fasting.
Many years later, I watched friends fast for forty days. I admired them tremendously even before the fast. I was somewhat concerned as I saw them fade away to very little. They drank supplements that kept them healthy, however, unlike my short but desperate fast years earlier. I also saw significant breakthroughs in their ministry about this time. They are my heroes.
Biblical examples and teaching about fasting
It surprised me to realise that fasting was a custom throughout the centuries all throughout Scripture, even though language and culture changed significantly along the way. Key figures whose fasting we read about include Moses (Exodus 34:28), King David (2 Samuel 12:16), Elijah (1 Kings 19:8), Isaiah, who taught at length about the importance of the heart when fasting (Isaiah 58), Daniel, who did partial fasts, at least (Daniel 1:12, 10:2-3), Queen Esther and many of her peers (Esther 4:16), Anna the prophetess (Luke 2:37), Jesus (Matthew 4:2) and the early church (Acts 13:2-3). If they all practised fasting, and presumably many more besides, shouldn’t we consider it?
Jesus explicitly taught about fasting (Matthew 6:16-18). He preceded his discourse by the clause ‘WHEN you fast’ and not ‘IF you fast’. Having said that, he did not ask his disciples to fast during his time in public ministry, in contrast to other religious leaders at the time (Matthew 9:14). He expected them to make the most of every day that he was with him … and he also expected that they would fast once he was gone (Matthew 9:15).
Interesting asides
I knew about Ramadan, of course, but I was surprised to learn that most religions have an expectation of followers fasting from time to time, including Judaism. This isn’t a reason for Christians to fast, but just an interesting aside. Another inspiring aside is the example of a delightful British monk who thoroughly enjoys fish’n’chips and who fasts most Wednesdays and Fridays – I read about him in a secular article about fasting (see footnote 2).
These days, there is a lot of awareness in the secular world of the health benefits of what is called ‘intermittent fasting’. Just last month, a local TV station in my area broadcast a segment on how to avoid Christmas weight gain. It involved partial fasting (see footnote 3). It’s a no-brainer, really.
Interesting asides aside, Christian fasting isn’t primarily about healthy living. Improved health is a positive outcome though, don’t you think?
The main point
The main point of this blog post is to raise our awareness of a particular spiritual discipline – fasting. Fasting is not a salvation issue, and I’m not suggesting that we all need to do it. But key men and women of God in the Bible, at least, sure seemed to think that it was a good idea.
Will I put my words into practice and actually start fasting occasionally, not out of desperation, but as worship? Well, if I were to tell you that I will, I’d be going against Jesus’ explicit instructions to fast in secret (Matthew 6:18). But if I were to tell you that I was not planning to fast now and then, then it would be obvious that I was like that poor fool who looks in a mirror and then goes away and forgets all about it (James 1:23-24).
So I shall tell you nothing.
(1) https://www.atlasandboots.com/foreign-service-institute-language-difficulty/ accessed 7 Jan 2018
(2) https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-25592458 accessed 7 Jan 2018
(3) https://coach.nine.com.au/2018/12/13/08/47/michael-mosley-weight-gain accessed 7 Jan 2018