Coincidence or Precedence
There are a number of texts that point to momentous events that shaped the course of history that have followed periods of fasting.
- Moses fasted before delivering the Law to the people (Exodus 24:18; 34:28).
- Queen Esther encouraged all the Jews in Susa to fast before she approached the king of Persia (Esther 4:16)
- Nehemiah mourned and prayed after hearing a report about Jerusalem’s walls (Nehemiah 1:4)
- Jesus was led into the desert by the Spirit and he fasted for 40 days (Luke 4:2).
Is it a coincidence that fasting is mentioned in these passages?
Do they establish a precedent that we might follow in seeking God’s will?
“It is almost impossible to overstate the historical importance of this moment in Antioch in the history of the world. Before this word from the Holy Spirit there seems to have been no organized mission of the church beyond the eastern seacoast of the Mediterranean. Before this, Paul had made no missionary journeys westward to Asian Minor, Greece or Rome or Spain. Before this Paul had not written any of his letters which were all the result of his missionary travels beginning here.
This moment of prayer and fasting resulted in a missions movement that would make Christianity the dominant religion of the Roman empire within two and a half centuries and would yield 1.3 billion adherents of the Christian religion today with a Christian witness in virtually every country of the world. And 13 of the 29 books of the New Testament were the result of the ministry that was launched in this moment of prayer and fasting.
So I think is it fair to say that God was pleased to make worship and prayer and fasting the launching pad for a mission that would change the course of world history. Is there not a lesson there for us?”
John Piper, A Hunger for God, (Crossway, 1997): 107.
What Kind of Fasting?
Recently when I was in Cincinnati, I had a chance to hear Scot McKnight talk about spiritual disciplines. He made the point that many today are using spiritual disciplines. For example, someone might undertake a fast in the hopes that by doing so we will get some sort of answer or health benefit. This kind of fast is not what God wants from us. When our fast is a means to an end, we run the risk of missing God altogether.
In Zechariah 7:1-14, the prophet complains that the people were not mourning and fasting after the LORD. The question in verse five rings loud and true: “Was it really for me that you fasted?”
We have to look closely at our motives.
Fasting should not be treated as a magical ritual that we can embrace to make God tip his hand. Instead, fasting is an opportunity to seek after God with all our heart, soul, mind, and body.
“Once the primary purpose of fasting [to have a life that is centered fully on God] is firmly fixed in our hearts, we are at liberty to understand that there are also secondary purposes in fasting. More than any other Discipline, fasting reveals the things that control us. This is a wonderful benefit to the true disciple who longs to be transformed into the image of Jesus Christ”
Richard Foster, Celebration of Discipline, Revised Edition (HarperCollins, 1988): 55.
This week find a sacrifice that you make so that you can seek God more fully.
I would like to encourage all of us to be involved in fasting and prayer during the weekend retreat our elders will be having in May. What better way to love and encourage them as they meet and pray over decisions to be made affecting those they shepherd?
The examples you have given encourage me greatly in this pursuit. Thanks, Jason!