But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that your fasting isn’t obvious to others but to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. (Matthew 6:17-18 CSB)
One of the ways people intentionally seeking the Lord is through through the discipline of fasting. If you’re not familiar with this discipline or it isn’t part of your spiritual rhythms, here are a few things that might be helpful:
What is fasting?
“Fasting is the voluntary denial of an otherwise normal function for the sake of intense spiritual activity…Ordinarily we think of fasting from food, which is the normal way the Bible speaks of it. But we can fast from many things. We can fast from media. We can fast from noise, hurry, and crowds. We can fast from excessive talk. We can fast from our technological devices. Whatever in our lives is producing an addiction in us is a prime area of fasting. In this way we are learning to depend on God alone.” (Richard Foster)
Fasting doesn’t necessarily have to just be limited to food. It can include abstaining from pretty much anything to help us seek God more intentionally.
What is the purpose of fasting?
Fasting is about cultivating a desire for God more than anything else in this life. It’s about denying ourselves physically to intensify our desires spiritually.
“Fasting is when we hunger for God – for a fresh encounter with God, for God to answer a prayer, for God to save someone, for God to work powerfully in our church, for God to guide us or protect us – more than we hunger for the food God made us to live on.” (Donald Whitney)
Jesus reminds us in Matthew 6:17-18 that we need to ensure that our motivations are pure whenever we engage in this practice. It shouldn’t be obvious to others when we are doing it. It should never be about drawing attention to self.
Is fasting necessary?
For the Jewish people, fasting was a regular spiritual practice that was considered part of their obedience to God. The Law required an annual fast on the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 23:26-27). As time went on, however, additional days of fasting were also observed throughout the year. In the Gospels, we read of people who practiced this discipline as often as twice per week (Luke 18:12).
Jesus also fasted. Matthew 4 tells us that when Jesus was led into the wilderness to be tempted, He fasted for 40 days and 40 nights.
Though Jesus engaged in the discipline of fasting, He never explicitly commanded us to practice this discipline, as part of following Him. But He does seem to assume that it will happen. Jesus said twice in Matthew 6:16-18, when you fast.
What could fasting look like for you?
Perhaps you might quietly plan to skip a meal or two and use that time instead to seek God more intentionally. Maybe it means cutting out social media or other technology for a period of time. Invite God to speak into what would be most helpful for you in order to cultivate a greater desire for Him.
And if you do fast, do so expectantly, knowing that your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
