Fasting: A Posture of Surrender Focused on Godနမူနာ

Looking back at the first three days of this reading plan, we have looked closer at the words of Jesus and the Apostle Paul on the topic of fasting. Their words remind us of our utter dependence on God for everything and the opportunity fasting provides us to surrender our mind, body, and spirit to God.

Over the next few days, we will turn our attention to the Old Testament as we explore the circumstances that led God's people into a time of prayer and fasting and what these examples might mean for you and me today. One such example is the story of Queen Esther.

Queen Esther understood that in times of extreme danger, the spiritual discipline of fasting allows us to seek God in a committed, undivided way. When we fast, we humble ourselves, breaking from our regular rhythms as we pursue the deliverance that only God can provide.

Esther 4:15-17 says, “Then Esther said in reply to Mordecai, “Go, gather all the Jews to be found in Susa, and hold a fast on my behalf, and neither eat nor drink for three days, night or day. I and my maids will also fast as you do. After that I will go to the king, though it is against the law; and if I perish, I perish.” Mordecai then went away and did everything as Esther had ordered him.”

Looking closer at Queen Esther's words, "and if I perish, I perish," we again see how fasting is an act of surrender that reminds us of our utter dependence on God for even our very lives.

By going to the king, Queen Esther risks her life for the sake of others - her people, the Jews. With the lives of Queen Esther and the Jews hanging in the balance due to Haman's plot to kill all the Jews in the land, Queen Esther calls for the most extreme version of fasting - a three-day absolute fast without food or water.

At this point in the story of Queen Esther, we should pause to acknowledge that an absolute fast from food and water is the exception and not the rule. The human body is believed only to be able to survive for around three days without food and water.

After three days of prayer and fasting, she goes before the king and finds favor in his eyes. And Queen Esther and the Jews are spared from Haman's plot.

So, what does the story of Queen Esther mean for us today? Perhaps you or someone you know are facing what feels like an impossible circumstance. For whom might God be calling you to pray and fast as a way of surrendering these circumstances and their outcome to Him?