When was the last time you fasted? Was it last week, last month or on the Day of Atonement? The answer to these questions may reveal how deeply you feel the need for regular, personal fasting.
We sometimes do not fast often enough. Why? One reason is that it is inconvenient to set aside a whole day (Sunday, for example) after a busy week, just for fasting—especially when there are chores to do. Another reason is that fasting is never “comfortable.” Going without food and water for 24 hours is always a little bit painful! Perhaps the most common reason we do not fast, or do not fast often enough, is a lack of realization of our deep need for it. The Bible shows several reasons why faithful men and women of the Bible need to fast.
Fasting for the Welfare of Others
David had a lot of enemies—some of whom were after his life! But when they were sick, David fasted for them. Psalm 35:13–14 says: “But as for me, when they were sick, My clothing was sackcloth; I humbled myself with fasting; And my prayer would return to my own heart. I paced about as though he were my friend or brother; I bowed down heavily, as one who mourns for his mother.” How much do we fast for our friends, much less our “enemies?” Are we fasting when others are sick? Are we fasting for spiritual strength to forgive and love our enemies? That is one of the needs we have today.
Fasting for Physical Protection
When Ezra and his party were heading out on the long voyage back to Jerusalem from Babylon, there were many dangers. What did Ezra do? “Then I proclaimed a fast there at the river of Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God, to seek from Him the right way for us and our little ones and all our possessions… So we fasted and entreated our God for this, and He answered our prayer” (Ezra 8:21, 23). We need physical protection today—especially in the end when God’s Church will flee to a place of refuge. Even now, there are parts of the Philippines, and other places around the world, where our brethren face very real dangers. That is a need we can fast about today.
Fasting Before an Interview
How many times have you had to go before a boss, teacher or administrator with a request? There is a biblical example of fasting to obtain a favorable response from a superior. Mordecai exhorted Queen Esther to approach the king to appeal for the lives of the Jews. She knew that if the king did not hold out the scepter to her as she entered, it would mean the death penalty for her. She desperately needed God to change the mind of her superior to be favorable towards her. Notice what she did. She told Mordecai: “Go, gather all the Jews who are present in Shushan, and fast for me; neither eat nor drink for three days, night or day. My maids and I will fast likewise. And so I will go to the king, which is against the law; and if I perish, I perish!” (Esther 4:16). All men—including kings and presidents— are like “putty” in God’s hands! When we are acting in faith by approaching a superior—in order to obey God—we can ask God to change their minds for our benefit, too!
Fasting to Overcome Temptation
If anyone did not “need” to fast, in this sense, it would be God Himself. But we have the example of Jesus Christ who fasted before the Devil tempted Him in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1–2). This was real temptation— it was not play-acting! The Bible says Christ was “in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15). When Jesus Christ needed to be especially close to His Father—to resist the temptations that Satan would try on Him—what did He do? He fasted. If we are beset with temptations, if we are struggling to overcome a problem or a sin, how do we do it? How do we find the strength to fight against the Devil—to resist him and cling to God? As the disciples found out in Mark 9:29, fasting is an indispensable tool for spiritual strength! There simply is no substitute!
Fasting to Examine the Self
So how can we take advantage of this powerful tool for Christian growth? Take the advice of Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong, as he wrote in his autobiography: “I first prayed and asked God to show me the way—to open my understanding. Then, I began to search the Bible for instruction. Then for one hour I sat in thought and contemplation. I turned over in my mind the scriptures I had read. I reflected on my own life in recent months. I tried to compare it with God’s way, as revealed in the Scriptures. Then I spent the next hour in talking to God—in prayer. And so I decided to continue in this order—one hour in scripture study, one in contemplation, and one in prayer. I did not once ask God to heal my wife—as yet. I had been doing that for weeks, without result. I was fasting and praying, not for the purpose of bringing pressure on God to force Him to obey my will and give what was asked—but to find out what was wrong with me! I realized we did not need to nag at God. Never fast as a means of inducing God to answer!” (Autobiography of Herbert W. Armstrong, Vol. 1, 1986, pp. 391–393).
How can we experience real spiritual growth? How can we approach God when we have real needs for physical protection, success in difficult interviews and strength to overcome temptation or to forgive enemies? Examine the self through fasting—ask God to show us ourselves. Then, and only then, will we be in the right frame of mind to make our requests known to Him. We need to fast!