Hungry for God: Ash Wednesday

"Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after fasting forty days and forty nights, He was hungry."

—Matthew 4:1-2

Today is the first day of Lent. Lent, if you are unfamiliar, is the period of time between Ash Wednesday and Good Friday (not counting the Sundays as they are considered “mini-resurrections”). Lent traditionally lasts for forty days, which is a tradition based upon the fact that Jesus was tempted in the wilderness for forty days (Matthew 4:2). It is a time of preparation, as we considered the death and resurrection of Christ anew. He suffered and was rejected for our sins, even to the point of becoming sin for us (2 Corinthians 5:21).

Lent then is a time where we prepare ourselves by focusing more on God and less on self. This is done through times of increased Bible reading, prayer, and most commonly—fasting. Just as Jesus fasted in the wilderness, we too fast, echoing the apostle Paul who said,

“….I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified”—1 Corinthians 9:27.

We are showing that we are not sustained by bread alone, but by the words of God. Fasting then is a means by which we live out that reality. Some fast from food altogether, while others fast from certain types of food or drink (e.g. sweets, meat, and coffee). Some cannot or should fast from food (i.e. those with medical conditions or nursing mothers), but can fast from that which they really enjoy (e.g. entertainment, television, movies, the Internet, or even sex). One thing is for sure, Jesus does expect us to fast (cf. Matthew 6:16-17). Not that you have to fast during Lent. Lent is simply one of the avenues by which we can fast—one of the seasons of life, where we focus more intently on our Lord. So, if you choose not to fast during Lent, that’s good. But, all Christians, at one time or another should add fasting to their list of spiritual disciplines. As Martin Luther once wrote,

“Of fasting I say this: it is right to fast frequently in order to subdue and control the body. For when the stomach is full, the body does not serve for preaching, for praying, for studying, or for doing anything else that is good. Under such circumstances God’s Word cannot remain. But one should not fast with a view to meriting something by it as by a good work.”—Martin Luther, What Luther Says, Vol. 1, compiled by Ewald M. Plass (St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1959), p. 506.

John Calvin also said,

“Through its course, the life of the godly indeed ought to be tempered with frugality and sobriety, so that as far as possible it bears some resemblance of a fast. But, in addition, there is another sort of fasting, temporary in character, when we withdraw something from the normal regimen of living, either for one day or for a definite time, and pledge ourselves to a tighter more severe restraint n diet than ordinarily.”—John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, Vol. 2 (Philadelphia: The Westminster Press, 1960), p. 1241 (IV, xii, 18).

God desires that we fast. And Lent is the perfect time for us to do it. It will not be easy, but as you fast, you will discover much good and much bad. You will find yourself distempered, frustrated, tired, and irritable. Which is why Jesus said,

“And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.  But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”—Matthew 6:16-17.

Fight through the pain and you will begin to see God more clearly. Fasting is not simply to debase the body, as the build the spirit, not to experience hunger for food, but replace it with a greater hunger for God.

Take time to fast. Decide if it is to be food, drink, entertainment, hobby, or some other physical pleasure, and then do it. Let your hunger for God replace your hunger for those things, for God’s glory and your joy. Amen.