Thursday Theology: The Discipline of Fasting

"In a culture where the landscape is dotted with shrines to the Golden Arches and an assortment of Pizza Temples, fasting seems out of place, out of step with the times. In fact, fasting has been in general disrepute both in and outside the Church for many years…What would account for this almost total disregard of a subject so frequently mentioned in Scripture and so ardently practiced by Christians through the Centuries? Two things: First, fasting has developed a bad reputation as a result of the excessive ascetic practices of the Middle Ages…Second, the constant propaganda fed us today convinces us that if we do not have three large meals each day, with several snacks in between, we are on the verge of starvation." – Richard J. Foster

Even though fasting has, by in large, fallen out of practice (and even when it is practiced it is often done so incorrectly), it is important to recognize that many of the great men of God embraced this discipline; Moses the lawgiver, David the King, Elijah the prophet, Esther the queen, Daniel the seer, Anna the prophetess, Paul the apostle, Jesus Christ, Martin Luther, John Calvin, John Wesley, St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Augustine, St. Theresa De Avilla, and St. John of the Cross are just a few of the notable people.

Biblical Fasting:

Biblically, fasting means abstaining from all food, solid or liquid, but not from water. In general a fast is truly that simple, stay away from all food save water, however there are two major exceptions, the first of which is known as a “Partial Fast.” A partial fast is exactly what it sounds like, it is a fast from MOST things, but not all things, this often takes the form of only consuming fruit juice so that your body will have some nutrients, but will still be abstaining and is most often used as either a method of learning to fast, or in situations where it is impossible to do a regular fast. The second variation is an “Absolute Fast” in which everything, including water, is given up. It is important to note that an absolute fast is ONLY embarked upon under clear guidance from God and only for three days at most. (There are accounts of miraculous absolute fasts lasting weeks in the Bible, but unless you are certain you are the next Moses or Elijah, just stick to the three day rule.)

Purpose of Fasting:

The primary purpose of fasting is to focus on God. However, this focusing does have some secondary benefits; fasting often reveals what things control us, reminds us that God and not food is what we are sustained by, and keep things in life in perspective. The easiest example of this is food (though fasting will often reveal other things which control you); if a person is giving up food and feels themselves drawn to it above worshiping God, they know that they are at least partially controlled by that, they are forced to acknowledge that no matter how much they are able to eat their very existence is dependent upon God (they could easily eat a five-course meal and walk outside to get hit by a bus), and they are reminded that nothing in this life is as important as God and the people He has put into our lives, especially not things; all of this can easily be revealed during a fast.

During a fast, you should be in constant prayer, meditation and internal (or external if you feel so led) song to God. The fast will take you out of your normal routine and allow you to more easily remember to focus on God.

Fasting must be LEARNED:

Fasting is one of the most commonly failed endeavors believers embark upon. This is often because they are not taught how to, nor prepared for a fast. Like all disciplines there is a progression that can be used to slowly gear up your fasting abilities so that you can be more successful and thus not lose heart as you attempt to fast more and more; that said, do not beat yourself up for failing! Here is a program by which fasting can be started, and increased incrementally:

- Start out by going on a partial fast for twenty-four hours once a week. Drink fruit juice during this fast but don’t eat solid foods. Do this until you find yourself being successful at it for two or three weeks in a row.

- Next trying going on a twenty-four hour regular fast once a week for a few weeks. Once you are successful at this, begin attempting a 36 hour fast.

- After this begin to pray about whether you should go on a 3-7 day fast, and as God and your ability to fast allow, simply add on days. There are many people, not me yet, who can go as long as 40 straight days on just water.

**NOTE**
Some people should NOT fast! Diabetics, pregnant women, and heart patients are a few; if you have questions about your health consult a medical professional.

Fasting can lead to incredible spiritual breakthroughs and bring us into a more correctly aligned walk with God. I encourage you all to embrace this long set-aside discipline and please, let me know how things go for you! Remember that all of these concepts and some of the text come directly from Richard J. Foster’s Celebration of Discipline. Next Thursday I’ll be talking about studying the Word, the last of the inward disciplines.