Psalm 42:1 says, As the deer pants for the water brooks, So pants my soul for You, O God.
Are we desperate for more of Him, thirsty for Him, hungry for more of Him? We sing, we are desperate for Your presence, we are waiting here for You, and while that is true in certain situations in our lives, the truth is God is often waiting for us to draw closer to Him.
The Bible states, Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled. (Mat 5:6 NKJ)
One way to express hunger for God is fasting, Matthew 6:17-18 But when you fast…that your fasting may not be seen by others… your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
Should we really fast? Do we even need to? Matthew speaking the words of Jesus says when you fast – this encourages us to go for it. John Wesley once said – some have exalted religious fasting beyond all Scripture and reason, and others have utterly disregarded it. There are certainly wrong reasons and motivations to fast for example, self-righteousness, to lose weight, to look good, to try and bribe God, but equally some have ignored it completely.
Fasting is a discipline with a purpose. To fast means to abstain from food for measured periods of time in order to heighten hunger for the things of God. Fasting is not a hunger strike, but biblical fasting always centres on spiritual purposes. People can also apply fasting to other things, such as media, telephones, our consumer culture, and so on.
Essentially, fasting takes your eyes off the things of this world to focus entirely on God.
Fasting must be centred on God, God-initiated and God-ordained. Is God calling you to a season, time or day of fasting?
Here are some reasons to encourage you to fast.
1. Fasting reveals things that control us and brings them to the surface (Ps. 69: 10)
2. Fasting reminds us we are to seek and be sustained by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God (Matt. 4: 4).
3. Fasting helps us keep our balance in life and ensures that nonessentials do not take priority in our lives.
4. Fasting can bring breakthroughs in the spiritual realm that will never happen in any other way (Mark. 9: 29).
5. Fasting looses bands of wickedness, undoes heavy burdens, sets the oppressed free, and breaks every yoke. (Is. 58: 6 – 7)
6. Fasting can also increase the effectiveness of intercessory prayer, guidance in decisions, increased concentration, physical well-being, revelations, and more.
Fasting is not twisting God’s arm and demanding our answers, nor is it forcing God to answer. It gets you ready for God’s answer, which may not be what I want it to be. You may see an immediate breakthrough, or it may take time, but through fasting, we express our longing and yearning for more of Him. We also boldly say: I want You more than food or anything else in life.
Heavenly Father, thank You for being a rewarder to those who diligently seek You. Lead me in this season and help me be sensitive to what You say. Lord, I am hungry for more of You; I long for more of You. Amen