Fasting

I love good food. “Good” is highly seasoned, flavorful-yet-reasonably healthy cuisine-not your cheap, artery-clogging grease from KFC or Mickey D’s. To get what I want, I either have to make it or go to a restaurant with at least a couple stars. A friend and I recently lamented on how eating out “our style” at least three nights a week this past year greatly stretched our law-student budgets. In short, I do good food—or no food.

Naturally, God takes the earthly things we hold dear and uses them to stretch us spiritually. My God-given challenge: Not eating, i.e., fasting.

Jesus gave directions for this spiritual discipline in Matthew 6: 16-18:

When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, 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 men 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.

In light of this passage, this entry isn’t to proclaim that I’ve fasted, but to share how God is using my weakness to take me to another level with Him.

My first regular experience doing it was an (optional) lunch-time fast and prayer meeting Wednesdays at my Christian high school. Most of us still brought drinks. I’d have the most filling I could find: some thick, syrupy strawberry soda or ten-juice blend. In those days, the idea that not eating was supposed to shift my focus from food to God was somewhat lost on me. However, I do credit those lunch-hour experiences with helping me recognize that fasting should be part of my relationship with God.

I dabbled a little more with fasting in college, but not much more. I’d still usually just skip a meal and pray some. But my first year of law school I started doing it a lot more, and for longer.

At first I didn’t know if I could really do it that year. Eating a good meal was the highlight of days that started really early, ended really late and consisted almost completely of class and studying. Additionally, I wasn’t sure how much time I could spend praying and reading the Word when I had so much else to do. But I also felt I had no choice—I was so overwhelmed, and knew only God could get me through, just like how He had gotten me into law school.

I fasted once a week for most of that year. God kept opening points of the day where I could get away from my library cubby or take a walk after class to spend more time with Him. Yeah, my stomach growled sometimes—and I was tempted to think about things like this nearby deli that had the most amazing salad bar with all these homemade ingredients. Initially there were also headaches that I wanted to claim were divine signs for me to stop fasting “for health reasons.” But as I pushed the thoughts aside, I focused more on Him rather than food. And the headaches disappeared.

I never spent much time evaluating the spiritual effects of those fasts, but I know that, overall, seeking His face that year—and the two that followed—made my law school years successful in so many ways.

More recently, I’ve been challenged to fast more. One of the things I struggle with is worry. Sometimes it creeps up on me because it doesn’t so much come in stomach pangs or other physical manifestations, but through thoughts. My mind travels from A to Z (without skipping letters) in like, three seconds. When I start a thought with “what if,” almost every possible scenario—good and bad, will travel through my head without me even blinking. When I fast, I’m reminded to “set my mind on things above” (Colosians 3:2); give my thoughts to God rather than be anxious and think about excellent, praiseworthy things (Philippians 4:6-8).

I’ve also been reading an aptly-titled book, “Fasting” by Jentezen Franklin (I didn’t even know who that was, but I kept seeing his book at Family Christian Bookstores. It’s now the “Book of the Month,” which means I got it for $10-40% off). The chapters are short, and it really cuts to the chase about the benefits of fasting and how Christians are actually commanded to do it. Chapter 2 is called “Dethroning King Stomach” and gives biblical examples about how the lure of food cost some God’s blessings. Chapter 5 addresses the benefits of a 40-day fast (I’m still building faith and stamina for that one:)).Thus far, I’d recommend it!

Wherever we are in our faith, God calls us to “add” always— reach for the next level (2 Peter 1: 5-11). Food never really goes away, but God’s best might.

Food and I are very close, but I want God closer.