Why
do we fast? Why should we fast? What is fasting? Who is to fast? There
are many questions about fasting. I am sure you have many questions and
hopefully we can answer your questions and guide you in a fast that
will work for you.
There are several reasons that we should fast, I am going to focus on three reasons.
ONE
is a humble admission of need. The need may be forgiveness of sin,
comfort over some grief or sorrow, concern over the situation of an
individual, a city, or a nation, or the need for guidance and direction
from the Lord. For example, when Nehemiah heard about the condition of
Jerusalem, he immediately began to mourn and seek the Lord in fasting
and prayer (Nehemiah 1:4-11). He poured out his heart to God and
admitted to God the needs of the people. Nehemiah had a great need.
Take time to read it the passage. His prayer is powerful. For other
examples see Daniel 9:3, 1 Samuel 7:6; 31:13, 1 Kings 21:27-29,
Nehemiah 9:1, Esther 4:1-3, Psalm 35:13; 69:10; 109:24, Isaiah 58:5-6.
TWO
is a humble request for help. This is closely linked to the first
reason. Before we will ask for help we have to admit we have a need – a
need we know we cannot meet. God alone can give the needed help. Our
requests can include seeking the Lord’s guidance for a decision (Judges
20:26), for healing (2 Samuel 12:16-23), or for safety and protection
(Ezra 8:21-23). Ester 4:16 records Esther’s plea for the people to fast
for her for three days concerning the deliverance of the Jewish people.
In Jonah 3:3-10, the entire city of Nineveh entered into a fast to
repent of their wickedness and to seek deliverance from certain
judgment.
In the New Testament, we find examples
of those who sought the Lord with a whole heart at a time of great need
or as an expression of humble dependence on the Lord to guide or
provide in some way. In Matthew 4:2, Jesus revealed His dependence on
His Father during the wilderness temptations. The forty days of prayer
and fasting were a time of intense focus on the Father and submission
to all of His will and His Word. When Jesus taught on fasting, He
clearly showed that it was a matter of a heart-to-heart focus on the
Father, a submission to His will , and an act of trusting in His supply
for the need.
THREE is
a haughty attempt to get one’s own way. Isaiah 58:1-4 is one of the
clearest rebukes to a proud heart full of selfish motives. This type of
fasting is of no benefit.
God looks at the heart not the outer
man. He is concerned that we are walking humbly before Him with a
desire only to do His will. He delights in us seeking Him with a whole
heart, and sometimes a whole heart requires a time of fasting. This
thought brings us to the practice of fasting. How do we go about a time
of prayer and fasting? What are the procedures? Answers to these can be
found in the next posting.
