“‘Even now,’ declares the Lord, ‘return to me with all you heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning’.” (Joel 2:12)
I’ve written about fasting before, but I’d never given it a try until a couple of years ago. The experience taught me that fasting requires as much discipline and devotion as reading your Bible on a daily basis. In other words, some things are easier said than done.
To most 21st Century Christians, fasting seems strange because for the last 150 years it’s been popularly viewed as a spiritual exercise reserved only for those thought to be extreme or fanatical. Yet, fasting is a scriptural truth in spite of the fact that it has largely gone unpracticed by many of our mainstream denominations.
A lot of churches are rediscovering this lost secret of earlier churches. Pentecostals, for example, have openly encouraged the practice for years, but recently other prominent denominations such as Southern Baptists are beginning to give the practice of fasting a fresh look. In fact, I recently heard a great sermon on fasting delivered by a prominent Southern Baptist preacher in the Atlanta area.
While it is true that there is no direct command given in the Bible requiring anyone to fast, it was apparently important to our Lord, who once said, “When you fast…” (Matthew 6:16) Notice that Jesus did not say “If”. He said, “When”.
The Bible provides several reasons to fast, but my decision was steeped in the belief that my daughter’s recovery from anorexia would only come by getting out of the way and putting my trust in God. Fasting was my way of showing God that I finally trusting Him and only Him to help me in my time of need.
In all honesty, I didn’t expect anything to happen during my fast and frankly wasn’t sure whether I was fasting out of faith or desperation. Maybe it was a little of both!
I believe that God understands the desires of our hearts, so in spite of where my desperation might have been taking me, I realized that I had to lean on my faith, and trust not that God might respond, but that he would respond. To my surprise, He let me know during my fast that everything was going to be okay.
Henry Blackaby reminds us in Experiencing God that the Lord speaks to us in different ways, one of which is through other believers. We may all want to hear the voice of God through a burning bush, but the truth is God can speak to us just as clearly through people he sends our way, too.
That was certainly true in my case because less than two hours after I began my fast, one of my Sunday School class members called me out of the blue. Suffice it to say that while I don’t understand a lot about the spiritual practice of fasting, I at least honored Scripture and told no one that I had decided to fast.
“I had you on my heart this morning,” she said. “I’m praying for you and Tori. I know you’re discouraged, but don’t give up on God.” She then told me to go to Psalms and read something the Lord had laid on her heart for me. (And I wondered if God really knew what was going on in my life): “Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress. He sent forth his word and healed them; he rescued them from the grave. Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men.” (Psalms 107:19-21)
I knew immediately that my daughter was going to be okay. In fact, over two years have lapsed since her struggle with anorexia. She’s completely healed, a normal teenager, if there’s such a thing.
My decision to fast is not the reason the Lord brought healing to my daughter. It was my decision to put my full trust and confidence in Him. Imagine what He could do if we would just trust Him in everything that life brings our way.
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