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A RETURN TO FASTING
Those who have grown up in the Western church have rarely experienced fasting as an integral part of either their culture or their faith expression. But that was not—and is not—always the case for the global church.
At the time of this encounter Jesus had with the oppressed boy and his father, fasting was so integral to the Jewish cultural fabric that people rarely had to verbalize its significance. Many of the central figures in the Bible fasted, including Moses, Elijah, David, Hannah, Zechariah, Esther, Daniel, Nehemiah, Anna, John the Baptist, Paul, and Jesus Himself.
In Judaic, Asian, and my own Bantu cultural contexts (among many others), fasting is deeply ingrained, and not just in the spiritual or religious traditions. Fasting is taught alongside other elementary familial and communal life skills.
It's important to note that in most ancient contexts, cultures, and religions, fasting is viewed as abstinence from all food. That is what we call “water fasting.” Whenever the Bible mentions fasting, unless specified otherwise, it’s referring to water fasting.
Some people champion fasts from social media and specific entertainment. Although moderation, or outright cessation, of indulgent habits is beneficial, those acts are not consistent with the biblical form of fasting and therefore cannot be used as substitutes for it. Almost all the bodily benefits and beautiful regenerative processes of fasting happen when we abstain from food completely, and I believe our good God designed it that way for a purpose.
Our deviation from fasting has cost us more than we could ever quantify—not just in the potency that could be ours in the realm of answered prayer, nor in the incredible benefits that happen to our bodies and our minds when we fast, but ultimately in the disconnect from a practice so foundational to the faith of our Savior Himself.
Jesus, in the Sermon on the Mount, makes His point on fasting with the word when: “But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret.And your Father who sees in secret will reward you” (Matthew 6:17-18).
When you fast, not if.
Isn’t it time we reached back to our faith fathers’ ancient wisdom?
Why do you think fasting is not a common practice in today’s Western culture?
Scripture
About this Plan
Fasting is, at its core, an invitation to intimacy with God. It’s an emp¬tying of all, so we can be filled by His all. Yet many of us aren’t sure how to start making this transformative practice a part of our lives. As Reward Sibanda explores, we never finish a fast the same person we were when we began, because through fasting we become more of who God created us to be.
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