Rumblings On Fasting

"There, by the Ahava Canal, I proclaimed a fast, so that we might humble ourselves before our God and ask him for a safe journey for us and our children, with all our possessions. 22 I was ashamed to ask the king for soldiers and horsemen to protect us from enemies on the road, because we had told the king, "The gracious hand of our God is on everyone who looks to him, but his great anger is against all who forsake him." 23 So we fasted and petitioned our God about this, and he answered our prayer." Ezra 8:21-23

I've been hearing a lot in the last week about fasting. Whether in a sermon, blog post, or read in the Bible, the subject of fasting has been coming up a lot. Something I've discovered in the last several months is that when God is saying something, sometimes it comes up a lot. Sometimes when God is talking, I'm not paying much attention, and I need to get the message over and over and over. I read these verses in Ezra today and simply shook my head, as once again, the subject of fasting has come up to me. Shoot, I think I may have dreamed that someone mentioned fasting to me. Clearly, I need to spend some time in prayer and fasting. However, as I learned earlier this year, fasting for me does not mean that I'm going to starve myself, and I need to spend some quiet time with God to find out exactly what it is I am to fast. Last summer I went over a month without watching TV, and by spending that time with God, I grew exponentially. So for me, a good fast is to stay away from watching TV.

Fasting though, is much more than just giving something up for a period of time, it's also about using your time wisely. When you fast a meal, instead of just going about your day being hungry, you should be using your regular meal time to spend with God. Instead of watching TV or surfing the net for your regularly scheduled time, you open up your Bible and focus on God instead of the blinky boxes. Fasting is a way to carve out a period of time just for you and God. It also can be a reality check. I discovered last summer that my world is not going to come to an end if I stop watching some of my favorite TV programs, and ever since then, TV has become less and less important to me. Where I used to watch a couple of hours of programming a night, I'm down to a scant few hours a week. It's wonderful, to be honest! Sure, I may be missing some great entertainment, but I have the best entertainment on the planet in my own two kids.

As I read these verses in Ezra though today, I saw that that prayer and fasting went hand in hand, and I read as these people petitioned God for their safety- and did so through prayer and fasting. They were serious, and desired His hand on their travels, so they fasted, to show they were serious and that they were completely relying on Him. As a group they all fasted together and sought God together- and look what happened! God answered their prayers. They had a safe journey and were protected the entire time. God does answer prayer! And while I know for certain that there are times where God answers those quick prayers whispered in haste, I suspect that he really pays attention to those prayers that are prayed in earnest. Often times men in the Bible fasted for a period of time and prayed constantly while they were seeking wisdom or direction from God.

So this morning and for the next few days I suspect, I'll be giving an extra few minutes of thought and prayer time to God, as I find out exactly what he would have me do in the area of fasting. Is it for a period of time? And what am I fasting? TV again? Reading? A food group? God will show me what he would like me to set aside while I focus on Him.

"When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 17But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you." Matthew 6:16-18