Spiritual Disciplines: Fasting As a Means of Grace

A Pastoral Dilemma

I’ve always wondered why fasting is called “fasting.” When you’re in the middle of it, it certainly doesn’t seem fast. Many years ago, when I was a pastor, I had a major dilemma. A family that I considered as integral, crucial to my ministry even, was causing major divisions in the church. The fact was, my new church had only about 40 attendees, and this was a family of five, where the husband was the worship leader and the wife was the children’s ministry director, both on a voluntary basis. Without them, I thought, I was sunk.

I set an appointment to meet with my district superintendent to run this problem past him. He was very wise and had run churches and a whole district for a couple of decades. And I considered him a spiritual champion. In short, he was the place to go for answers.

At the restaurant where we had lunch, he took the salt and pepper shakers, lined them up, and said, “Here is where God wants you to go (the saltshaker), but this (the pepper) is in the way.” I was still reluctant, so he told me to fast about it until God provided the answer. Now I had fasted before, even embarking upon a 40-day fast at one point. The difference was, I knew when that would be over. I had no idea when this would be over… I definitely finished all of my lunch that day, to say the least.

Getting an Answer

So, I began fasting and praying over the situation; do I remove them from leadership? Do I embark upon a Matthew 18-style disciplinary effort? Do I simply work on smoothing out the divisions? And let me tell you, the 40-day fast was a cinch compared to this one, even only 2 days in! Then, on the third day, at the end of our small group, a person completely unattached to the situation handed me a note. It read, “The (name of family) are ruining your church.” Well, it couldn’t be clearer than that! Time to eat! Except for one problem: being a new-ish leader, I didn’t know how to remove them.

So, I continued the fast, asking God to give me that strength as well. I decided to inform them after Sunday service that they were out, as far as leadership. Instead, they asked to see me after church and informed me that they had decided to leave and go elsewhere. Boom! I’d say that fasting, as a function of church leadership, worked, wouldn’t you?

What are Spiritual Disciplines?

But why fasting, and why is it considered a “discipline?” In fact, what are spiritual disciplines anyway, and do they have value in the twenty-first century?

Probably the best modern source on this topic is Richard Foster, author of Celebration of Discipline—The Path to Spiritual Growth. This book is the foundational work for looking into the ancient practice of these disciplines. In fact, he calls them “classical” because they’ve been practiced for centuries and because they have been affirmed by the church fathers over the years as a necessity. Foster says that the “curse of our age” is superficiality. We want grace, want salvation, and want help in times of need, but that’s about it. We want what we can get from God but aren’t so interested in going any deeper than that. We want to come to the Master’s table because of what’s on the table rather than because that’s where the Master is!

Christianity should be experiential, not merely transactional. It should be transformational in our hearts, minds, and ways of living. If we were to make a pie chart of our lives, with work, family, entertainment, and so on as wedges, is Christianity just another wedge, of whatever size? Or is Jesus the crust, the container into which the rest of our lives is poured?

A Sweet Aroma

I like to see the Christian life as a million-square-foot mansion, with bowling alleys, indoor and outdoor pools (with or without a swim-up bar, depending on your denomination), an indoor golf simulator, ice cream sundae stations, and so on. It’s the greatest existence this side of heaven because it brings heaven to earth while we’re alive. Inside this mansion is Jesus himself, waiting to speak to us, comfort us, and give us miraculous victories over habits, thoughts, and deeds. He wants to open our hearts to spiritual wisdom and knowledge, forging a relationship filled with grace and love previously thought unknowable, making our lives gloriously aromatic to those around us.

As in the Gospels, everywhere Jesus went, that place got better. So now we, going out with Jesus with us, make every place we go better. Our lives would be so full of Jesus we would be like a sponge saturated with water. One tiny amount of pressure on that sponge and water comes out…one tiny amount of pressure on our lives and Jesus comes out! That’s what is awaiting the Christian. But…we accept Christ, the door to the mansion opens, and we step across the threshold and then stand there until we die. Never getting to know Him, never experiencing power, never experiencing victory. We live our lives just like the pagans next door, only that guy doesn’t waste two hours every Sunday going through the motions at church.

The Inward Disciplines

One of the ancient ways to keep this tragedy from occurring is the practice of the disciplines. Foster separates them into three categories, but for this series we will look at what he defines as “The Inward Disciplines.” That is, fasting, meditation, prayer, and study.

So, I ask again, why fasting? And by the way, for this article I’m talking about not eating, plain and simple. I know people can “fast” from TV, Diet Coke, Snickers bars, golf, or whatever. But the biblical practice of fasting is literally not eating. As a matter of fact, “fast” in both Hebrew and Greek means “to abstain from eating.” So that’s what I’m going to talk about. From my story above to ones you may have experienced, it’s evident that fasting is a practice whereby you will find a deeper, more intimate, more meaningful relationship with God. And as for why, when you replace something you really, really must have, such as food, you need to replace it with something. In this case, it’s with God and his presence, guidance, and grace.

When you fast, you’re telling God that you need him more than you need sustenance. Jeremiah 29:13 says, “You will seek me, and you will find me, when you seek me with your whole heart.” Fasting is a means to that.

Fasting in the Bible

The Old Testament contains exactly one obligatory day of fasting, and that is the Day of Atonement, or Yom Kippur. This is fasting over sorrow for sin and seeking forgiveness. Observant Jews today still fast on Yom Kippur. But the Old Testament is chock-full of descriptions of suitable times for fasting, ranging from repentance to guidance to grieving.

Hannah, though barren, prayed and fasted for a child, and God answered her prayer with a son, Samuel. Daniel fasted for 3 weeks and was rewarded with a vision for Israel’s future. Nehemiah, heartbroken over Israel’s plight, fasted and prayed, and God granted him favor with the Persian king, and he returned to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. And when told that a foreign army was marching toward Jerusalem, King Jehosaphat proclaimed a national fast, and God answered with miraculous deliverance.

When we get to the New Testament, it’s clear from Jesus’ interactions with both his followers and the religious leaders that fasting was considered an ordinary part of a worshiper’s life. In teaching the disciples in Matthew 6:16-17, twice Jesus says, “when you fast…” He treats fasting as something that’s expected of a follower, not something that is hardly ever done. And when his followers fast, God, who sees what is done in secret, will give the reward (Matthew 6:18).  

The first church in Acts fasted and prayed about who God would appoint as apostles. Anna the prophetess fasted regularly in her temple worship. The Pharisee in the parable fasted twice a week! And in the most famous biblical instance of fasting, Jesus fasted 40 days in the wilderness to kick off his public ministry.

In all these instances, worshipers fasted to seek God’s face, to find answers, to experience deliverance, or as an act of repentance. What’s clear from this is that fasting is a means of grace to draw closer to God. It’s subduing the flesh and making it subject to the Lord.

What To Avoid When Fasting

Before I wrap up, I think it’s important to point out some warnings. First, a Christ-follower shouldn’t use fasting as a way to lose weight or “detox.” Using a spiritual discipline for anything other than intimacy with God is cognitive dissonance at the very least. And to enter into it lightly, as a “thing to get through” so you can get on with your life, is also wrong.

Check your heart

I remember once I decided to do a 30-day lunch fast. That is, I wouldn’t eat anything between breakfast and dinner. A few days into it, I’d find myself in a convenience store about 3:30 to get a Diet Coke and see the pack of Red Vines there and think, “Well, it’s past lunchtime,” and there would go the licorice sticks. I entered the fasting period because I believed God had directed me there as he was going to do something important in my church ministry. Only I didn’t take it seriously enough once there.

I don’t think God cares that much if you’re hungry or if you waited until the specific minute on the clock to break the fast. He cares where your heart is. So, if you’re thinking, “I can’t wait until the sun goes down so I can scarf out,” you’ve not upheld the spirit of the discipline.

Seek The Lord’s Guidance

Also, when it comes to lengthy fasts—fasts of a week, multiple weeks, or even 40 days—I caution you strongly not to embark upon that journey without a strong word from the Lord in the first place. It’s a biological fact that a body needs calories. To deprive yourself of that is potentially dangerous. When done at the Lord’s guidance and command, there is a supernatural sustenance that upholds. How else to explain how a very human Jesus survived in the wilderness or how Moses on Mt. Sinai went 40 days without food? As part of a regular discipline, say once a month or so, where fasting a lunch period to pray for an hour (in my opinion, a totally legitimate practice), you are placing God first, but you are also not endangering your own life. So, if you are thinking of an extended fast, proceed with spiritual caution.

Focus On The Lord

The final word of caution I’ve alluded to already, is to avoid legalism. The fast begins in the heart, and at the root of that is motive. A Christ-follower eagerly desires closeness, intimacy, to hear from God, to experience Christ, and so on. We have established that fasting is a means for that to happen. If you are not going to eat food for three days, but you still want whipped cream on your morning coffee, that is a matter of the heart: what is your motivation? As my hero, John Wesley said regarding fasting:

“First, let it be done unto the Lord, with our eye singly fixed on Him. Let our intention herein be this, and this alone: to glorify our Father who is in heaven; to express our sorrow and shame for our manifold transgressions of His holy law; to wait for an increase of purifying grace, drawing our affections to things above; to add seriousness and earnestness to our prayers; to avert the wrath of God; and to obtain all the great and precious promises He has made to us in Jesus Christ.” (John Wesley, Sermon 27)

If you desire a deeper, closer relationship with Jesus, begin practicing the disciplines. If you desire victory over sin, power to live in holiness, deliverance from adversity, or guidance for life-changing decisions, practice fasting.