Fasting has fallen on hard times among Christians in the modern West. This practice – abstaining from food for a time to seek God in focused prayer – was prominent in the spiritual rhythms of God’s people in scripture and church history, but not for us. Many of us don’t do it and while some of us rationalise our neglect of it, many just don’t see the point.
Yet, our Lord himself fasted and expected that when he returned to glory his disciples would fast (Matthew 9.15). The witness of scripture and believers through the ages points to fasting as a means ordained by God for his people to seek him. But we might wonder, 'Is it still important today?' We know it does not earn favour with God, so why do it? Why fast?
I believe we should all, where physically able, make a regular practice of fasting for one primary spiritual reason – to see better. But what does fasting open our spiritual eyes to see?
To see God. In the midst of life’s busyness, we easily lose conscious awareness of God and fasting is a powerful aid in recovering sight of God. Hunger humbles us and reminds us of our dependence on him. It reminds us that it is he who provides our daily bread and his word, more than bread, that truly sustains us (Matthew 4.4). Each hunger pang serves as a signal to direct us to him. Abstaining from food slows us down and creates space to not just glance but gaze at God. Do you feel distant from God? A fast might just be what you need to reset your vision.
To see yourself. You might have seen the popular ads for Snickers with the tagline “You’re not you when you’re hungry”. These ads play on the relatable experience of hunger making us act in ways we’re not proud of. However, contrary to Snickers, Jesus says “what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart” (Matthew 15.18). We are very much ourselves when we are hungry. Fasting powerfully reveals heart disorder that is more easily hidden with a full stomach. It shows us what we depend on other than God and what desires have subtly come to dominate us. This is a mercy as seeing gives a chance to repent and depend on God to break the hold of our hearts’ idols.
To see the way forward. In scripture, fasting is done for various reasons like averting disaster (e.g. Esther), repentance (e.g. the city of Nineveh) and special petitions (e.g. Hannah requesting a child). However, perhaps the most prominent reason people fast is to seek the Lord for direction and power for what he calls them to. Think of Jesus before his public ministry, Ezra before going to Jerusalem, Paul, Barnabas and the Antioch church before the first Christian missionary journey in Acts 13. Like them, let us humble ourselves before God in fasting and prayer that he might provide the clarity we need.
I write this article as a novice in the discipline of fasting. I have only begun to glimpse its power to clear my foggy spiritual vision but I want to grow in it and I want to invite you to join me. Who knows what the Lord might do if we, his people, humble ourselves and seek him in this way?
Read our other recent article, This Is Why We Feast. These articles are 100% man-made, without the use of generative AI.