Fasting: A Reminder of Longing
As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. (Psalm 42:1)
When is the last time you remember being hungry or thirsty? I mean really hungry or thirsty – like panting for a drink of water or aching for something to eat? Have you ever thought about why God designed our bodies to experience hunger and thirst? I mean, having to stop and eat multiple times a day doesn’t seem very efficient. Imagine all the extra time you’d have in a day, or week, if you didn’t have to pause to prepare and eat meals – especially if you have kids!
God actually designed our physical bodies to experience hunger and thirst as a way to remind us of our need for him. Our physical bodies weren’t designed to be self-sufficient. They don’t produce sustenance and nutrition on their own, so we need it from an outside source. When we eat and drink we’re reminded God is our gracious provider who created us and now sustains us through physical food and drink.
But our hunger and thirst doesn’t only remind us of our physical need, it also points to our spiritual need. When our stomachs growl it’s like God is reminding us, “That’s the kind of hunger you’re to feel for me!” When we feel parched and long for a drink of water it’s like God is saying to us, “That’s the kind of desperation you’re to feel for me!”
If you’re like me, though, it may have been awhile since you’ve truly felt hungry or thirsty – physically. Most of us haven’t had to go without food very often, if at all. In fact, we often treat even the sensation of hunger like something that should be avoided all together. So, we make sure to keep snacks close at hand throughout the day to keep that dreaded feeling at bay.
And, if you’re like me, there are times when it’s been awhile since you’ve truly felt hungry and thirsty – spiritually. And not because you’ve been so regularly feasting on God and his goodness. I’m speaking of the numbness that occurs when we allow our souls’ hunger and thirst to be quenched, artificially, by lesser things. When our spiritual nerves and senses have been dulled so we don’t recognize our deep need for God. And this is where fasting comes in.
Fasting is willfully, voluntarily abstaining from food. (It doesn’t have to be food, but that’s typically how fasting has been practiced by God’s people throughout church history.) When we fast from food our bodies experience genuine, physical hunger. And that hunger is a reminder of longing. It reminds us of the kind of hunger we’re to feel for knowing God and the kind of longing we’re to feel for Jesus to return and make all things right.
It may sound like a contradiction, but fasting is really about feasting. Karis, we need God. We need to be reminded to feast on him, through his Word and prayer. To that end, the elders are inviting you to join us over the next few months for some special days of prayer and fasting. The next one is coming up on Saturday, April 3rd. We’ll provide a guide with some practical suggestions for fasting that day as well as a prayer plan. And we’ll gather that night at 8:30 for a corporate prayer meeting on Zoom.
Please make plans now to join us for a special day of seeking and feasting on the Lord.