| Prayer Journal |
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| Prayer Journal |
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INTRODUCTION: Fasting is very seldom discussed today. Most pastors (present company included) would not count it as one of their favorite subjects, and probably wouldn't speak about it unless it came up while teaching a book or section of Scripture.
Fasting is one of the most misunderstood and least practiced spiritual disciplines, or what I prefer to call "spiritual health habits." Most of us act as if the teachings on fasting are not at all important, but Jesus has a different view; He never minimizes fasting.
On the other hand, He does correct and adjust the purpose and attitude that the religious attribute to it. In Matt. 6:16-18 He says, "When you do 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. 17] But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18] 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."
Jesus is contrasting the Pharisees' hypocritical practices with the genuine spiritual responses He desires of His disciples. The spiritual habits being discussed (giving, praying, and fasting) are practiced by both, but the motivations for involvement and the results are vastly different!
Notice how differently these spiritual exercises are approached.
For the hypocrite, the spiritual habits are outward and extravagant displays of personal piety, as we shall see. For the genuine participant, these spiritual exercises are to be kept secret when possible and motivated by genuine humility, which will be rewarded by God.
Each of these--praying, giving and fasting--is to be approached as an authentic activity for all believers.
* We are to pray in order to seek God. * We are to give that we might serve others. * We are to fast in order to discipline ourselves.
These habits impact our relationships with God, others, and ourselves.
Each of these, Jesus took for granted, would be a regular part of His disciples' lifestyle. He did not say "if," but "when." He expected His followers to fast, pray, and give.
Each of these also has a caution attached to it. We must be properly motivated or it will turn into sin.
With those general principles in mind, specifically we need
THE ADJUSTING OF OUR ATTITUDES REGARDING FASTING
In this section of Scripture, Jesus does exactly that! He first illustrates the negative approach and then contrasts it with the appropriate attitude toward fasting. His emphasis not only draws attention to the Pharisees' abuse of fasting, but also to our neglect of the practice today. He shows us that our appearance, aim, and audience will determine the effects of fasting.
THE PRACTICE OF FASTING
Fasting was a common activity to every Jew in Christ's day. Why did they fast? The Jew was obligated to fast one a year on the Day of Atonement, from morning until eveningLev. 16:31. However, the Jews also fasted without being commanded, sometimes for the whole nation as well as individually. Reasons for fasting varied, including: * to inquire of the Lord in light of pending decisions or potential actions (Judges 20:26; Esther 4:16) * to plead with the Lord for the sick (e.g., David, while his first child born of Bathsheba was dying, 2 Sam. 12:26; Ps. 35:13) * mourning (1 Sam. 31:13) * to humble oneself before God (e.g., Ahab in 1 Kings 21:27) * to confess sin and request God's mercy (1 Sam. 7:6; Neh. 9:1; Dan. 9:3) * to petition God for safety (Ezra 8:21; Esther 4:16)
Fasting is mentioned 81 times in the Bible.
What did fasting entail? "In the Old Testament, the term for fasting has the primary meaning of complete abstinence from food. The word comes from an Arabic term which signifies abstinence from food, drink, conversation and sexual intercourse. A common synonym for fasting is: 'to inflict one's soul'--Lev. 16:29.
In the New Testament, the Greek word for 'fast' means... not to eat, and can be used of a voluntary abstinence (2 Cor. 6:5; 11:27). Put briefly, it is 'shunning food for spiritual purposes.'" (Stephen D. Swihart, The Victor Bible Source Book, Victor Books, Wheaton, Ill., 1977, p. 145).
"Fasting is not confined to abstinence from eating and drinking; fasting really means voluntary abstinence for a time from various necessities of life, such as food, drink, rest, association with people... Fasting... does not involve looking upon the necessities of life... as unclean or unholy... Fasting implies merely that our souls at certain times need to concentrate on spiritual matters." (O. Hallesby, Prayer, Augsburg Pub. House, Minneapolis, Minn., 1960, p. 113).
THE DESCRIPTION OF FASTS
The Scriptures describe four kinds of fasts.
The normal fast.
This is the most common. All foods are avoided, but water is taken.
The partial
fast. The only illustration of this type of fast is in Daniel. He did not
eat meat or drink wine for 21 daysDan. 10:3. On this type of fast, all desirable
foods, meats, and specific drinks are avoided.
Special action
fast. Here attention is focused on obedience to God's commands
with respect to those who are oppressed, hungry, and needy. As we are denying
ourselves, we give ourselves to others who have needs (see Is. 58). Some of us need this
fast. We've been involved in special activities that benefit us, but avoiding the needy
around us. The Lord calls this a sin. We may need to reacquaint ourselves with the needy
for a period of time. From then on, our everyday concerns should include others'
needs as well as our own.
THE PARTNERS TO FASTING
Noting the context of Matthew 6 and taking into account the "special action fast"
of Isaiah 58, it is clear that fasting in and of itself has no spiritual value. That's why it
is third in the list of spiritual disciplines. Fasting should be accompanied by a giving
and praying heart; we will not be blessed by God just because we deny ourselves food.
Prayer and fasting are coupled together.
"This is not so much a regular practice,
so that whenever we pray we fast, but as an occasional and special arrangement, so
that when we need to seek God for some particular direction and blessing, we turn
aside from food and other distractions to do so... the evidence is plain, that special
enterprises need special prayer and that special prayer may well involve
fasting"John R.W. Stott, Christian
Counterculture, InterVarsity Press, p. 137.
So when we link these three disciplines together, we see fasting as an outgrowth of
or partner to the first two. It is not a singular spiritual health habit.
THTE CORRECTING OF THE
HYPOCRITES' APPROACH TO FASTING
v. 16 "When you do 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." The Pharisees knew the benefits and commands concerning
fasting, but as with their prayer, evil lurked within the good. This is revealed in their aim
for fasting.
THE PHARISEES' AIM
That which God had designed to enable and focus their prayers was seriously
soiled by sin. For the Pharisees, fasting became a means to get God's attention, like
a bargaining chip in their hands. They thought God would be so impressed by
their efforts that He would grant their requests.
This isn't new. Man has always thought that by inflicting pain upon himself he
would compensate for his sin and/or impress God to give him what he asks. Why?
Simply, man desires to earn his own salvation. The message of God's
grace--unmerited favor--is foreign to the old nature that seeks to do something good enough to get
God's approval. "I've lived a good life--I've not harmed my neighbor; I've paid my taxes;
I go to church. Surely God will overlook my sin" is its claim. The message of the
cross, however, is that Jesus alone is our salvation, for our righteousness is a pile of filthy
rags. Without God's grace, we're lost!
THE APPLICATION
Be careful not to use fasting as a means to get your prayers answered. Don't try
to obligate God to bless you. His blessings are a matter of grace, not because of our works.
As we have already seen, the aim of the Pharisees was not only to get the attention
of God, but of man. Their fasting was a show with a human audience. Jesus
denounced this in Matthew 6:16-- "When you do fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites
do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting." The Greek word used
is "theathenai;" that is, they were in a theater performing for an audience. Their
religion was a public spectacle, with fasting viewed as a way to parade their piety (see
Luke 18:8-14).
Many even today seek to draw attention to themselves--if not in fasting, then in
their worship or service (Matt. 6:1). While it is impossible to prevent some of our good
deeds from being seen by men and women (in fact, Jesus even encourages it--Matt.
5:16), the difference is in the goal: the only legitimate one is that others will praise the
Father in heaven. Therefore, carry out your righteous acts in a way that won't draw
attention to yourself. In your spiritual disciplines (prayer, giving, praise, fasting), make it
your aim to draw attention to God. Jesus did this throughout His ministry. People
very seldom praised Him for His good deeds; their attention was drawn to God, and
they praised Him for what Jesus did (e.g., Luke 19:37).
With the Pharisees, however, their righteous acts weren't what people noticed, it
was their appearance. Notice again how they looked when they fasted.
THEIR APPEARANCE
v. 16a--"When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they
disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting."
Look at these guys. They looked somber. They looked the part of spiritual
martyrs doing their duty for God, and they did it by disfiguring their faces. "The word
disfigure means literally to make to disappear, or render invisible/unrecognizable. So, what
they did was to neglect their personal appearance, or they covered their head with
sack cloth, or perhaps smeared their faces with ashes in order to look pale, melancholy
and so outstandingly holy"--John Stott, Ibid, p. 139.
William Barclay, in his commentary on Matthew, describes the setting: "The
Jewish days of fasting were Monday and Thursday market days, and into the towns
and especially into Jerusalem, there crowded the people from the country; the result
was that those who were ostentatiously fasting would on those days have a bigger
audience to see and admire their piety. There were many who took deliberate steps to see
that others could not miss the fact that they were fasting. They walked through the
streets with hair deliberately unkempt and dishevelled, with clothes deliberately soiled
and disarrayed. They even went the length of deliberately whitening their faces
to accentuate their paleness. This was no act of humility; it was a deliberate act of
spiritual pride and ostentation"--Barclay, The Gospel of
Matthew, Westminster Press, 1975, p. 235.
What did all this accomplish?
THEIR REWARDS
v. 16b--"I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full." They did get
the admiration of the onlookersbut that was it. The practice in and of itself had
no spiritual value. Unfortunately, the end result of the Pharisees' fasting was that
all spiritual blessings were lost because of improper motivations. How tragic! What
a waste!
Let's contrast that with the disciples' instruction.
THE CONTRAST IS SEEN IN THE DISCIPLES' ATTITUDES
DURING FASTING
vv. l7-18 "But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18] 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." What are
Christ's disciples/modern believers to look like?
THEIR APPEARANCE AND THEIR AIM
* *
They were to wash their faces.
* They were to present their normal appearance so that no one would suspect they
were fasting.
* The disciples' aim was to restrict the observers.
* They weren't to desire the attention of men, but to view fasting and its symptoms
as only a means to an endnot the most important thing.
What do they want?
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Spiritual health habits are valuable because they help us focus on our Audience.
True Christians realize they are being watched by God. We can bluff the human
audiencewhich can be wowed by our performance, thinking we're benevolent, prayerful
and disciplinedbut God knows for sure. Remember, God looks on our hearts, so
we'd better choose our audience carefully!
So, our aims include restricting our observers and restricting our attention to God.
In addition, the disciples have another aim:
Their aim is also to restrict their
body so that the Spirit can take the lead.
Many Christians today don't emphasize their inward relationship to God, but fasting can
help them focus on the inward realities. How will it help?
*
The body wants its needs and cares to gain preference.
* The body wants to be pampered.
* The body, however, needs to be adjusted by fasting, so that the spirit of a man will
take the lead.
Fasting reverses the normal pattern of our life. Normally we are starving our spirit
and feeding our flesh.
* We feed the body regularly, but
* We feed the spirit irregularly and sparingly.
* We cater to the body and deny the spirit.
So fasting and prayer reverse the process, denying the body and concentrating on
the spiritual needs of our lives. It's obvious that the spirit is often weak because it
hasn't gotten the attention it needs.
We say:
* "I'm too tired to pray; I'm going to bed!"
* "I can't go to that small group; it will mess up my breakfast."
* "I can't sit and study my Bible; I have too many things on my mind!"
Who's getting the attention then? The body gets the best of treatment, and
spiritual needs are left to times convenient for the body. This will eventually hurt us. We
can't cater to the old man and the flesh and expect to have spiritual health.
For the disciple, there is also another aim for fasting:
Their aim is to humble themselves before God. 2 Sam. 12:16 says, "David
pleaded with God for the child. He fasted and went into his house and spent the nights
lying on the ground."
Sometimes this is because of present and/or past
sins. In the Old and New Testaments, when people were deeply distressed because of their sin, they would fast.
* Nehemiah assembled the people and called for a fastNeh. 9:1.
* Jonah's preaching sponsored fasting in NinevahJon. 3:5-9.
* Daniel sought the Lord with prayers and fastingDan. 9:3; l0:22-3.
* Saul fasted after his conversionActs 9:9.
After we have failed the Lord miserably, it is a good thing to have a season of
fasting and prayer. This will reorient our attention to God and give us a chance to
strengthen our wounded spiritual lives.
Sometimes we humble ourselves before God in fasting, not only because of
past sins, but also in light of future
needs. Fasting and prayer are excellent helps to
us when we need discernment about the future.
* Queen Esther fasted before she approached the kingEsther 4:16.
* Ezra proclaimed a fast before leading the children of Israel back to
Jerusalem Ezra 8:21-23.
*
Jesus fasted and prayed in the wilderness before His public ministry beganMatt. 4:2.
* The church at Antioch fasted and prayed before Paul and Barnabas were sent out
on the first missionary journeyActs 13:2-3.
Fasting and special prayer then, should be a regular exercise before any special
activity or decision.
Another aim in fasting is to sponsor self-control over one's appetites. Paul believed in this strongly,
indicating that subduing the body is necessary to control its appetites.
"Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in
such a way as to get the prize. 25) Everyone who competes in the games goes into
strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that
will last forever. 26) Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight
like a man beating the air. 27) No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I
have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize." (1 Cor. 9:24-27).
Paul is not suggesting masochism (finding pleasure in self-inflicted pain); nor is
he suggesting we sleep on a bed of spikes. We are not to punish our bodies, for they
are God's creation and temples of the Holy Spirit, but Paul is calling us to discipline
them so that they obey us. Fasting can help us succeed.
The aim of a disciple in fasting might be to deliberately go without, so that
he might share with those who don't
have, i.e., the undernourished.
* Have a day of fasting and send the amount of money we would have spent to those
who need it.
*
Cut back on our food bill so we can share with others.
* Take from our abundance by sponsoring a needy child, giving to a food bank,
sharing in benevolence.
One of the great tests of our life is what we regard as essential. We must guard
against being at the mercy of the luxuries of life. It's not evil to have things, but hold
them lightly. Fasting and prayer will help you to focus on real needs and necessities.
Another aim might be to focus our prayer on the needs of
others2 Sam. 12:16.
So the target of the Pharisee was self-promotion, while the disciples' legitimate
target was to be the purposes and glory of God. Other goals of fasting include restriction
of the body, humbling of self, self-control/discipline, helping the needy, and
intercessory prayer.
Questions about Fasting
Let's answer some practical questions about fasting:
How long should the fast be? The duration of a fast depends on the type of
fast undertaken, the need at hand, and the person fasting.
* The Bible has a number of fast periods: one day, three days, seven days, 14 days,
21 days, and 40 days.
The duration is relative to the factors involved in the person's situation. Therefore:
* God may lead some on a one-meal fast.
* God may lead others on a one-week fast.
* God may lead you on a partial fastlike Daniel.
* God may lead you to restrict your food budget and resources and give to the needy.
The point is, the longevity of the fast does not determine its success or spirituality.
We must be sensitive to God's leading and act accordingly.
Are there safeguards we should observe while fasting?
* Don't be foolish. If you have a physical condition or ailment that might be
negatively affected by a fast, undertake this discipline only under a doctor's care.
* On the other hand, if you are physically healthy, don't pamper yourself when
a concentrated time of prayer and fasting is needed.
How about starting and ending a fast?
Start gradually. Don't gorge yourself and then stop the next day. Decrease your
intake gradually and increase your prayer.
Ending a fast has the same rule: do it gradually. Don't abruptly end and pick up
your regular eating habits. Begin with liquids/soups and gradually begin to eat
larger portions of food. I broke a fast one time with a chili burger, and I thought I was
going to die!
What result from fasting will ultimately count the
most?"your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you." The unseen God will see that your heart
and motives are right. Let me ask: What's the eternal recognition and praise of God
worth to you? Think about that for a moment.
What are the rewards that come
in this life to the one who lives a fasting
lifestyle, one of self-denial and focus on God?
Isaiah 58 gives a wonderful list:
* New light/insight/illuminationv. 8
* Healthv. 8
* Increased testimonyvv. 8,10
* Special divine protectionv. 8
* Answers to prayerv. 9
* Continual guidancev. 11
* Satisfaction in droughtv. 11
* Our life will bubble like a springv. 11
* Our life will be as a watered garden, producing much fruitv. 11
The chief question is: Who is your audience? Whose acknowledgment do
you desire the most?
· My prayer is that you will carefully choose your audience in your spiritual
disciplines.
· Jesus watches our hearts today as He watches people putting gifts into the treasury
while here on earth.
· As we pray, give, and fast, God is with us in the secret place.
· Remember, God hates hypocrisy, but He loves the reality of honest and willing
sacrifices.
Fasting
Reflect and Share Questions
Matthew 6:16-18
1. What has been your experience in fasting?
a. Lessons learned?
b. Any funny experiences?
c. Answers to prayer?
d. When do you seem the most motivated to fast?
e. What scares you about fasting?
f. What attracts you to fasting and prayer?
2. Which of the fasts mentioned here do you think you might want to try in the future?
Why? When?
a. Why is prayer a needed partner to fasting?
b. Go over each of the aims for fasting; discuss/meditate on why each is important
to you, to your small group, or to the church.
c. Can you think of a good reason for your small group or the church to fast
together? What safeguards should we take?
3. Do you think you need to fast now?
4. What are your reasons?
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