In the church I grew up in, fasting was not very common. But a few years ago, I decided to try it. Since then I have been fasting one day a week, and it has become an important part of my spiritual life.
Contrary to what some people believe, it is not the purpose of fasting to impress God so we can attract his blessings. Neither is its aim to increase our self-discipline or to lose weight. Fasting hasn’t done either of these things for me.
Like all spiritual disciplines, the purpose of fasting is to help us grow deeper in our understanding and experience of the gospel. Over the years I have found that it reminds me of the gospel in at least four ways.
Fasting Exposes My Weakness
I currently fast on Thursdays. It is the hardest day of the week for me. It should not be so difficult to resist eating for a day, at least not in theory. But in practice, it can sometimes feel like punishment.
Fasting reminds me that I am not nearly as strong or disciplined as I think I am. It exposes my weakness every week and it shows me how much I need God. It also exposes other sins in my heart.
I am much more prone to anger, frustration, irritation, bitterness, and jealousy when I am fasting. These are not things that it creates in my heart. They are things already inside me that come to the surface while I am fasting (Matt. 15:18-19).
Fasting Exposes the Idolatry of My Heart
Idolatry means putting other things above God in our hearts. It means looking to other things for strength, comfort, peace, joy, excitement, satisfaction, pleasure, and hope only God can provide.
Fasting shows me how much of an idol food is in my life. I love to eat! In fact, I have been a complete foodie since I was a child. Food is not just a source of nourishment or even enjoyment for me. In some ways, for me, food is what makes life worth living. This is classic idolatry, which fasting exposes in me week after week.
Fasting Reminds Me that Jesus is My Sustenance
Food is supposed to be a sign that points us to Jesus, the Bread of Life (John 6:48). Food is meant to remind us of the fact that all who come to Jesus shall not hunger, and whoever believes in him shall never thirst (John 6:35).
Unfortunately, food often becomes an end in itself. Instead of leading us to our ultimate Sustenance, we look to food to provide the comfort and satisfaction that only Jesus can give.
Thus, fasting is for me a regular reminder that we do not live by (physical) bread alone, but by God’s word (Deut. 8:3). And ultimately, we live by the Living Word, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Many years ago I heard someone say that whenever they feel hunger when fasting, they use it to remind themselves of how much they need God. I try to practice this principle while fasting, and it leads me again and again to find my contentment in Jesus.
Gratitude for God’s Gifts
Fasting one day a week has made me profoundly grateful for the gift of food the other six days of the week.
Since I began fasting I have repeatedly had the same experience: I get excited about some food in front of me. Then I stop to think if it’s my day of fasting. Sometimes this happens on a day when I am fasting. But often it happens on other days too. If I do get to eat that day, it makes me thankful for it in a way I would have never felt earlier.
In a mysterious way, fasting has made me more aware and grateful for all of God’s good gifts, not just food. I do not take them for granted in the way that I did earlier. Fasting has helped me realise on a daily basis how undeserving I am of anything, but how generous God has been to me in so many different ways.
I am grateful for the spiritual grace of fasting. It is helping me find more joy and delight in the Giver than in the gifts that he gives—including food.
