Fasting With a PurposeПримерок

When You Fast

Fasting is an opportunity to trust in the Lord and show your need for Him.

Scripture tells us that fasting is not an “if," but a “when." It was Jesus who said "When you fast..."(Matthew 6:16). Fasting is something that God wants us to consider and use to grow closer to Him. Scripture contains examples where Jesus fasted to build intimacy with God. But He was not the only one to trust God through fasting. We see this with Esther as well. She used fasting to trust God even in the most dangerous of circumstances. Jeanne Nigro expands on Esther’s story as a model for how to fast with a purpose.

Esther trusted God through fasting in the midst of her scary and unknown situation. As you read in Joel 2:12-13, the Lord is gracious and compassionate to those who return to Him in fasting. He is abounding in love and slow to anger. God wants us to trust Him through fasting, just as Esther and Jesus did.

Apply

• Take a few minutes to come up with a plan for your fast. When will you do it? Why?
• What will you be praying for or trusting God with during your fast?
• What can you rely on God for when you fast?