Lent traditionally was a time of fasting. I find fasting to be a spiritual discipline that is nearly lost among mainline church members. One PD Lenten suggestion is to consider fasting once a week and giving the money saved to relieve hunger in your community. The Presbyterian Church is encouraging a similar 40 hour fast to help raise money to relieve hunger in the Sudan. Fasting on Good Friday to focus your attention upon Christ suffering can also be an extremely meaningful experience.
Why Fast?
I have done a variety of fasts and have found that it helps me learn to surrender to God more readily, sharpens my prayer focus, puts me in touch with what is truly needed versus desired and helps broaden my general comfort zone. I always find myself a bit humbled by every fast. I realize just how much I am driven by immediate gratification and how fickle my will can be. I find myself turning more fully to God when I realize how much I need his grace and strength to deal with my own petty cravings. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised at what a formative experience fasting can be. It is biblical and that should have given me some clue, but I find it to be nearly a lost art. I am not sure I have ever heard a sermon on fasting or had a Sunday school lesson about it. If you are considering fasting, but don’t really know much about it, you will want to observe at least the following three tips.
First, fast with a purpose. Biblically, people fasted to show grief and repentance over sin. Sometimes fasting is done for the purpose of discernment. Some people fast in order to be in solidarity with the poor so that they are more mindful of the needs of others and the blessings in their own life. Whatever your reason for fasting make sure that you have a reason beyond just trying fasting. Without a purpose you can expect to get little more than hungry. I typically fast on Good Friday. I use the fast as a tool to focus on Christ’s suffering. Whenever I find myself during the fast either reflexively reaching for food or thinking about how hungry I am, I use those moments to recall Christ’s suffering. I find this practice draws me nearer to God and makes Easter all the more amazing.
Second, prepare. If you clean up your diet prior to the fast you can greatly limit some of the physical discomforts of fasting. I find that if I decrease sugar and caffeine several days prior to my fast and increase my water consumption, that my fast is physically far easier to endure.
Third, rejoice. When fasting don’t draw a lot of attention to yourself. The pharisees were prone to exploiting their fasts to draw peoples’ attention toward themselves by looking all pained and morose. Don’t complain. Instead, be joyful for the opportunity to be wholly focused upon God with your mind, body and spirit.
If you have other questions or concerns regarding fasting, please contact me. Many blessings to you during the Lenten Season from the Practical Disciple