Fasting

Fasting

Bible:Zechariah 7:1-10

The fasts . . . will become joyful and glad occasions and happy festivals for
Judah. Therefore love truth and peace (ZECHARIAH 8:19).

Reading

Hunger pangs gnawed away at me. Someone at church had recommended fasting as a way to focus on God. But as the day wore on, I thought: How did Jesus do this for forty days? I struggled to concentrate and to rely on the Holy Spirit for peace, strength and patience. Especially patience. If we’re physically able, fasting can teach us the importance of our most important ‘food’. As Jesus said, “Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God” (MATTHEW 4:4). Yet, as I discovered, fasting on its own doesn’t necessarily draw us closer to God! In fact, God once told His people through the prophet Zechariah that their
fasting was useless since it wasn’t leading to changed lives. “Was it really for me that you fasted?” God asked pointedly (ZECHARIAH 7:5). God’s question showed that the real problem wasn’t their stomachs; it was their lack of love for Him. By continuing to serve themselves, they were staying away from Him. So He told them to live by His good ways again: “Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another. Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the foreigner or the poor” (VV.9-10). Our point in any spiritual discipline (praying, reading the Bible, going to church, meditating, fasting) is to get to know Jesus better. As we become like
Him, we’ll also grow in love for His people.

FASTING IS A REMINDER TO SERVE GOD FIRST AND
HIS PEOPLE—NOT OURSELVES.

YouTh Edition – Our Daily Bread Ministries