Does it sound scandalous to say God will reward one for fasting? While Jesus rebukes people over fasting for ungodly reasons, he also says that the Father rewards those who fast for right reasons. Note that in Matthew 6, Jesus speaks about the spiritual disciplines "when you give," "when you pray" and "when you fast" in direct succession.

Most people would readily expect Christians to give and pray, but fasting has been notoriously absent. If Jesus can speak of these three alike, maybe fasting should get more consideration. Martin Luther found his prayer life was quickened when he fasted, which apparently he did often.

With Lent looming, we're going to spend the week looking at the spiritual discipline of fasting.

Prayer for the Week

Lord Jesus, knowing you take fasting seriously both personally and for your disciples, help me to find a place for it in my life as well. As the Spirit led you, I pray that He leads me as well -- that I might be in your will in every capacity of my world: Body, mind, and spirit,

Amen.

Psalm of Meditation for the Week:

Psalms 130:1-8

• Read: the verses twice.
  

• Mark: the words or phrases that catch your attention.
  

• Meditate: talk (better yet write) with God about those words. Ask him to impress things upon your heart and mind; expect a response from the Lord.

Matthew 4:1-11

Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”

Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written:

“‘He will command his angels concerning you,
and they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”

Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”

Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’”

Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.

One week from today is Shrove Tuesday, better known to many as “Fat Tuesday”.  That means one week from tomorrow will be Ash Wednesday, kicking off 40 days of Lent (excluding Sundays). Those 40 days parallel Jesus’ time spent in the desert (immediately after his baptism) with no food or water. Jesus was led there by the Holy Spirit prior to beginning his public ministry.

So the Holy Spirit came upon Jesus in His baptism and prior to kicking off Jesus’ mission, used a time of fasting to prepare him. I have no doubt that we all have a part of God’s mission, and that the Holy Spirit wants to lead us in that ministry. I wonder how he wants to prepare you.

Prayer Prompt

Ask the Holy Spirit how He wants to continue to train and/or prepare you? Who might He use to assist Him in handling these times of preparation? Take a look at your weekly schedule and ponder it with the Spirit; ask if you are giving Him ample time and space (and energy) to be trained? Listen and learn…

Scripture Meditation for the Day:

Psalms 130:1-2

Out of the depths I cry to you, Lord; Lord, hear my voice. Let your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy.

Teaching or Command of God:

Luke 6:36

Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

The Promise:

Matthew 5:7

Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

In Christ I am a child of God secure in the truth that nothing can separate me from the love of God, regardless of what occurs in life around me.

During Jesus’ temptation in the desert, the devil twice tried to use His identity against him while in a weakened state: “If you are the Son of God…”. It failed because Jesus was secure in His identity. It’s a good model for us: Know who we are and know whose we are.

Weakened state or not, one of the hardest things about any honest fast is denying ourselves something that our body or mind or emotions are craving. Our desires are powerful. But isn't that the point – to “crucify the flesh” with its desires (Gal 5:24). As a child of God we have an obligation to the Spirit, and are trying to keep the body from being in control (see Romans 8:12).

Prayer

Lord Jesus, while my flesh desires many things, my spirit desires to let you be Lord in my life, and to let you rule on the throne of my heart. Help me to live out of my identity as your child, under the leadership and full influence of Your Holy Spirit,

Amen.

Scripture Meditation for the Day:

Psalms 130:3-4

If you, Lord, kept a record of sins, Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness, so that we can, with reverence, serve you.

Teaching or Command of God:

Hebrews 2:17

For this reason he had to be made like them, fully human in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people.

The Promise:

Luke 6:37

Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.

Drawing from Jesus’ Sermon: 

Matthew 6:17-18

When you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

Martin Luther (speaking about there being no requirement to fast):

Care must be taken, lest out of this freedom [from fasting and abstinence] there grows a lazy indifference about killing the wantonness of the flesh; for the roguish [son of] Adam is exceedingly tricky in looking for permission for himself, and in pleading the ruin of the body or of the mind; so some men jump right in and say it is neither necessary nor commanded to fast or to mortify the flesh, and are ready to eat this and that without fear, just as if they had for a long time had much experience of fasting, although they have never tried it. (Treatise on Good Works XXI)

Review

Have I given my “flesh” permission to indulge? Have I been justifying behavior that God would prefer be out of my life?

Repent

Have these indulgences led to compromises, sacrifices or habits and patterns that can be defined as sinful or unhealthy? If so, repent and then…

Return

find forgiveness, strength and guidance to glorify Him.

Prayer Prompt:

• Review (your day, week, or life),
• Repent (of any identified sins),
  
• Return (if necessary).

Scripture Meditation for the Day:

Psalms 130:5-6

I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits, and in his word I put my hope. I wait for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning.

Teaching or Command of God:

James 5:11

As you know, we count as blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.

The Promise:

Isaiah 30:18

The Lord longs to be gracious to you; therefore he will rise up to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him!

Matthew 6:16-18

“When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

Acts 13:2

While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”

“when you fast…” Jesus clearly anticipates that his disciples will fast based on Matthew 6:16 and 9:15. We also see in Acts 13:2 that while God's people were worshipping and fasting, they get a directive from the Spirit about ministry to be done.

Whether you’re in the middle of “ministry” life, near the end, or just beginning, this is a good time as we head into Lent to consider asking the Holy Spirit to give you guidance about fasting from certain foods, TV or social media.

It is not so much about showing that you can give these things up – though there is great value in that. It is rather to connect with the life and sacrifice of Jesus and let the Spirit have more time to work on you as you carve out devoted time to God.

Discipleship Prayer:

Father God, if (or when) I choose to fast, may it be to seek your will in my life. Help me see this kind of commitment as a privilege to give up “pleasant food” (Daniel 10:3) for Your glory. Give me strong inner and outer discipline to keep this vow to you while I seek You.

Amen.

Scripture Meditation for the Day:

Psalm 130:7-8

Israel, put your hope in the Lord, for with the Lord is unfailing love and with him is full redemption. He himself will redeem Israel from all their sins.

Teaching or Command of God:

Psalm 42:5

Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.

The Promise:

Isaiah 40:31

But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

Daniel 1

In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. And the Lord delivered Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, along with some of the articles from the temple of God. These he carried off to the temple of his god in Babylonia[a] and put in the treasure house of his god.

Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, chief of his court officials, to bring into the king’s service some of the Israelites from the royal family and the nobility— young men without any physical defect, handsome, showing aptitude for every kind of learning, well informed, quick to understand, and qualified to serve in the king’s palace. He was to teach them the language and literature of the Babylonians. The king assigned them a daily amount of food and wine from the king’s table. They were to be trained for three years, and after that they were to enter the king’s service.

Among those who were chosen were some from Judah: Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. The chief official gave them new names: to Daniel, the name Belteshazzar; to Hananiah, Shadrach; to Mishael, Meshach; and to Azariah, Abednego.

But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way. Now God had caused the official to show favor and compassion to Daniel, but the official told Daniel, “I am afraid of my lord the king, who has assigned your food and drink. Why should he see you looking worse than the other young men your age? The king would then have my head because of you.”

Daniel then said to the guard whom the chief official had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, “Please test your servants for ten days: Give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink. Then compare our appearance with that of the young men who eat the royal food, and treat your servants in accordance with what you see.” So he agreed to this and tested them for ten days.

At the end of the ten days they looked healthier and better nourished than any of the young men who ate the royal food. So the guard took away their choice food and the wine they were to drink and gave them vegetables instead.

To these four young men God gave knowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature and learning. And Daniel could understand visions and dreams of all kinds.

At the end of the time set by the king to bring them into his service, the chief official presented them to Nebuchadnezzar. The king talked with them, and he found none equal to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah; so they entered the king’s service. In every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king questioned them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in his whole kingdom.

And Daniel remained there until the first year of King Cyrus.

In the story of Daniel and his friends, we find that their fast is not really about depriving themselves of food they particularly enjoyed, but rather about honoring God and giving him his rightful place.

The four of them (among others) were being put under a specific eating regimen to make them fit for serving the Babylonian king. Since this would put them in violation of Jewish dietary laws, they asked for an exception with their appointed supervisor.

Read the story and learn how the supervisor and king respond. Daniel fasts again for other reasons later (you can read that in Daniel, Ch. 10).

Prayer Prompt:

Ask God to give you Daniel-like faith and courage to stand up for your convictions regarding your God and beliefs. Consider which friends of yours are most likely to stand with you amid faith challenges and say a prayer for them. Sometimes they are going through trials and could use a “fast friend” also.

Acts 13:2

While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”

When God's people begin to praise and worship Him using the biblical methods he gives, the power of His presence comes among his people in an even greater measure.

~ Graham Truscott

Prayer for Worship:

Spirit of God, guide me to an understanding and even potential use of the discipline of fasting in my world. You used it to prepare Jesus for his ministry. Use it to prepare me for mine. Help me to maintain a right attitude before God with it. And help me to recognize its proper place in my world, whether a little or a lot, in Jesus’ name,

Amen.

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