Chapter 4 -

You can also fast!

 

 

 

 

In the previous chapters, we have been talking about prayer, its purpose, and how it is important to reserve time for praying. However, in addition to prayer you can also fast, which is like continuous and speechless prayer. When fasting, we are in a way praying and searching for the will of God even when we are not saying it aloud. Therefore, fasting should be a part of our spiritual life, but it is unfortunate that this is not often the case. In modern congregations, this issue has mostly been neglected.

   However, if we look at the time of the early church, we can see that fasting was used in those times. Jesus, for example, said that after He had gone away the disciples would fast. He warned us also about being hypocrites when fasting. He also said that certain people cannot be released by any other means than by prayer and fasting. These words of Jesus alone prove that fasting was used in those times:

 

- (Matt 9:14-15) Then came to him the disciples of John, saying, Why do we and the Pharisees fast oft, but your disciples fast not?

15  And Jesus said to them, Can the children of the bridal chamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them? but the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then shall they fast.

 

- (Matt 6:16) Moreover when you fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear to men to fast. Truly I say to you, They have their reward.

 

- (Mark 9:28-29) And when he was come into the house, his disciples asked him privately, Why could not we cast him out?

29  And he said to them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting.

 

In addition, a good example is Apostle Paul who most certainly fasted during his life. He did it privately but also together with other people – obviously based on an agreement. The Acts also includes references to the prayers and fasts of Paul and Barnabas before they went on their first mission journey:

 

- (2 Cor 11:27) In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness.

 

- (Acts 13:1-4) Now there were in the church that was at Antioch certain prophets and teachers; as Barnabas, and Simeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen, which had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.

2  As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them.

3  And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away.

4  So they, being sent forth by the Holy Ghost, departed to Seleucia; and from there they sailed to Cyprus.

 

Fasting not only appears in the New Testament, but was also used during the Old Covenant in many special situations. For example, Joel urges people to declare a holy fast and cry out to the Lord.  We can also find several other similar references to fasting.

   One of the most interesting cases is the situation in Nineveh; when this city declared fasting and turned to God, it avoided its judgment and received extra time. Perhaps this also applies to many towns in the world today:

 

- (Joel 1:14) Sanctify you a fast, call a solemn assembly, gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land into the house of the LORD your God, and cry to the LORD,

 

- (Jonah 3:5,10) So the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them.

10  And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do to them; and he did it not.

 

- (Ezra 8:21-23) Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river of Ahava, that we might afflict ourselves before our God, to seek of him a right way for us, and for our little ones, and for all our substance.

22  For I was ashamed to require of the king a band of soldiers and horsemen to help us against the enemy in the way: because we had spoken to the king, saying, The hand of our God is on all them for good that seek him; but his power and his wrath is against all them that forsake him.

23  So we fasted and sought our God for this: and he was entreated of us.

 

- (Neh 1:4) And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven,

 

- (Dan 9:3,21-23) And I set my face to the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes

21  Yes, whiles I was speaking in prayer, even the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, touched me about the time of the evening oblation.

22  And he informed me, and talked with me, and said, O Daniel, I am now come forth to give you skill and understanding.

23  At the beginning of your supplications the commandment came forth, and I am come to show you; for you are greatly beloved: therefore understand the matter, and consider the vision.

 

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF FASTING TO HEALTH AND WHEN NOT TO FAST

 

Talking about fasting and health, we can note that it can be very beneficiary to you. Especially in the Western countries, where people stuff themselves with food, fasting can certainly be a good thing for your health. It has been proven that the majority of illnesses in Western countries are caused by excessive eating. When people limit their eating, their health will start to improve. Illnesses such as heart and vascular diseases, old age diabetes, and cancer, for example, may be the results of excessive eating. Therefore, fasting or reducing the amount of food you eat is reasonable in these cases.

   However, there are some situations and illnesses when fasting is not generally recommended because it can be do more harm than good. These include diabetes that requires insulin treatment, pregnancy and breastfeeding, serious coronary and vascular diseases, liver or kidney deficiency, hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism, serious mental disorders or psychosis, and long-term fasting of teenagers.  If you do not have prior experience of fasting, it is good to start with a fast of one to three days. If you are suffering from one of the above-mentioned conditions, it may be wise to avoid fasting, or try a half fast. If you are not sure about your own situation, talk to your doctor.

 

ENDING FASTING

 

There are some guidelines to ending a fast. The longer the fast is, the more important it is to end it correctly. End fasts by drinking natural juices first, then add extremely light foods such as fruits and vegetables, mild gruel and berry soups. Stay with these foods longer if your fast was a long one. (When shifting to solid foods, allow yourself a transition time of at least one week.) If you start eating solid foods too soon, you can suffer pain or become ill. In some cases, you might place yourself in danger. Fasts that last for 1–2 days, for example, that are carried out at regular intervals, are easier because ending them is simpler.