Monday, March 14, 2011

On Fasting

Not a totally irrelephant picture.

Hunger.

Not a sensation I'm used to feeling. I'm used to being able to access food whenever I want to--to satisfy the craving within minutes, and feel contentment again. Food has never been a resource for which I've been wanting. And it's never something that I've not enjoyed. I love food, and I really enjoy eating. I do believe that delicious food is one of God's gifts to man, and the fact that we can find pleasure through our taste buds, while at the same time fulfilling this basic human need, is no accident.

So why do we fast? Why would God ask us (and expect us![Mark 2:20]) to intentionally go without food? Fasting is a religious practice that dates back way before Jesus' time, and has always been expected as a discipline for people who follow the Lord. This is something that I have never really understood, my tradition being one that didn't really emphasize this spiritual discipline, but also because I tended to be actively against it, for reasons stated above and for the fact that it seems to be earning our favor in God's eyes through our works, showing God how good and holy we are.

But what I've learned (so far) in fasting is that it can be a real blessing on our lives, for multiple reasons and benefits. Here are a few of them that I can think of:

1) To highlight our weakness - By intentionally causing our bodies to suffer, we can come to a greater realization of our dependence on the Lord, to know in our weakness that truly we are dust, and to dust we shall return. To know the limitations of our own flesh in light of the great power of the Lord by His Spirit is a profound thing, and one that teaches us and shapes our worldview more and more to be dependent on the Lord. When we highlight our weakness, it's easier to see God's strength, and we may more easily pray with John, "He must increase, but I must decrease" (John 3:30).

2) To seek the Lord - In this special season of Lent that is set aside to seek the Lord, fasting is a regular practice. Fasting is something that is put in place to remove obstacles that might otherwise hinder us from seeking the Lord. And when we seek the Lord while we are surrounded by our own weakness, it opens up a lot more opportunity for His strength to shine through, and sharpens our focus on Him. Think about a time when you were underwater for too long, whether someone was holding you under or you were stuck. When you start to feel the pressure on your lungs, desperate for air, your heart starts to beat faster and your mind begins to panic, and all your focus and energies are driving you toward one thing--air. Your entire body and mind, focused on one goal, will do anything it can to give itself air. It's kind of like that in fasting. When we suffer, our energies can be focused, and our senses heightened, and we use that to our advantage in seeking the Lord.

3) To gain mastery over our flesh - It's funny how exercising some self-control can make you realize how out-of-control your life sometimes is. When I fast from food, I realize just how unnecessary my constant snacking between meals is, and how superfluous is the amount of food I eat at dinner to what my body actually needs.  When I fast from media, I realize just how much time I spend on Facebook, or how much time I use up to watch movies, reminding me that my time is not my own. Through this fasting, I realize just how much these things tend to dominate my life, how much my life is directed by giving in to every little desire and whim, like a horse being led about by its bridle. And through fasting, I slowly get better at directing myself, of choosing to use my time and my body for the things of God, rather than for the desires of my flesh. Yes, I still fall and give in, and probably still will for a very long time. I'm stuck with this tent of flesh for the rest of my life, and my sinful nature will continue to hound me until the Lord takes me. But I want to give my life over in obedience to the Lord, rather than my flesh. I choose to make the energies of my life directed towards what the Lord will have me do. And this choice requires some training in overcoming the natural inclinations of my flesh. Fasting is a big part of our training for this, and it helps us to gain control over our flesh and settle the chaos of giving in to every desire.

4) Learning to die to self - "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul?" (Matthew 16:24-26). The more we die to our old selves, the more we allow the new creation that has been proclaimed by Christ through His resurrection to transform us. All of these points really come down to this. We are a new creation, and we are not to be bound by the desires of our old, flesh-driven lives.

These are still things I'm learning and trying to put into practice. Oftentimes I fail. I'm actually really bad at all this, but I'm learning. And I think I'm getting better at it. And I'm realizing that it can only be done with the Lord's help. We ask Him to purify us, so that we can present a our lives as an offering to Him, pure and undefiled. Not that He won't accept any other offering other than one that is totally pure (if so, He wouldn't receive much, at least not from me). But the Lord calls us to live lives that are holy and set apart for Him. This holiness is our offering, a thank offering in response to His great work in our lives. By striving for holy lives, we may, like Christ, be a "fragrant offering and sacrifice to God" (Eph. 5:2). Amen, may it be so Lord.

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