Hungry for God: Bring Me Closer

“The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in that day”—Mark 2:20

Some of John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting which made Jesus’ disciples question, “Why do John's disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?” Jesus responded,  

“Can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast”—Mark 2:19.

The time of fasting would be when the bridegroom was taken away. Jesus was referring to the time when He would leave this world and go to heaven. The time between His first and second comings and that time is now.

As believers, fasting is one of the greatest tools we have to draw nearer to Christ, invoke God’s provision, protection, and power. Fasting has been used by saints of God in the Old Testament and in the New Testament. David fasted upon hearing of the deaths of Saul and Jonathan (2 Samuel 1:12), and fasted after hearing of the impending death of his son in hope of invoking God’s mercy and staying his son’s death (2 Samuel 12:16). Ezra fasted for God’s protection (Ezra 8:21) and over sorrow for sin (Ezra 9:5). Nehemiah fasted when he heard of the state of Jerusalem (Nehemiah 1:4), and sorrow for sin (Nehemiah 9:1). Esther fasted when genocide loomed for her people and so that she would have favor in the presence of her husband, the king (Esther 4:16). Daniel fasted upon hearing of the sins of his people and the length of time for the Israelites captivity (Daniel 9:3). Fasting was not unique just to the Old Testament. Jesus fasted (Matthew 4:2), the early church fasted (Acts 13:2-3), and He expected us to fast (Matthew 6:16-18).

Fasting can be done in a wrong manner. As the Lord said,

“Say to all the people of the land and the priests, When you fasted and mourned in the fifth month and in the seventh, for these seventy years, was it for Me that you fasted?”—Zechariah 7:5.

The answer was “no,” it was done for themselves. Fasting can be done with completely selfish motives. It can be for one’s own pleasure (Isaiah 58:3), to further injustice, violence, oppression (Isaiah 58:3-4), and to bring attention to self and elicit the praise of men (Matthew 6:16-18).

The type of fasting God delights in is the kind that is done in secret (Matthew 6:16-18) and done to stop wickedness (Isaiah 58:6) and oppression (Isaiah 58:6). He desires fasting that enables us to see and help those who are hungry, homeless, in need of clothing (Isaiah 58:7) and that is not done for the praise of men, but so that God may hear our cries and act on our behalf (Isaiah 58:8-14).

Fasting helps to quiet our souls so that we may hear the heart of God more clearly and then act as His ambassadors—doing the things He delights in for those who cannot help themselves. It is one of the means by which we draw closer to Him.

Have you fasted before? If so, why not try it now? Try it for a meal or two. Pick a day of the week and fast from lunch or dinner. Try and take that time to read the Word and pray. If you have fasted before, why don’t you use this time to fast for a longer period of time? Use your fasting to intercede for those who are far from God, for those who are oppressed and are experiencing injustice. If you can’t fast from food, then how about fasting from entertainment, coffee, or something else you delight in? Let God become your focus during your fasting, let it be a time of consecration and celebration, as you echo the words of Jesus, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God”—Matthew 4:4. Amen.