In the Gospel of John Jesus says to his disciples “apart from me you can do nothing”.
One of the best and most obvious ways that we demonstrate this to be true is in our attitude and approach to prayer. A sign that we our growing in our maturity in our relationship with God is that we have an increasing awareness of our dependence on him (in everything) and we find ourselves praying more! If that is true in our general lives then how much more so when it comes to a vision like “On earth as it is in heaven”.
While the idea and significance of prayer is something that most people are aware of, the same cannot be said about fasting. We do not fast in order to twist God’s arm. We do not fast in order to get God’s mercy. We do not fast in order to impress God or to make him love us. We have a saviour Jesus who has made us perfectly acceptable to God and through whom we have been adopted into God’s family. So why fast? Well here are three reasons (there are many others but here are just three):
- N.T. Wright says that – fasting is “saying a firm goodbye to everything in us that still clings to the old”. As Christians we are redeemed and part of the Kingdom of his beloved Son, but we live in a world where our passions and desires are so influenced and impacted by things that compete for our affections, we still fight with our flesh. Peter says “you are a slave to whatever controls you” and fasting is a powerful way to see and pray into those things which still have a hold on us from our old life. These are things and attitudes and behaviours that enslave us and stop us from being who we are!
- When we fast we remind ourselves that we belong to Him and not to the many things (legitimate and illegitimate) that pull and compete for our affection and worship. Fasting is a reminder that “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” As we fast we demonstrate (to ourselves) that He is greater and more important than all the things we think we need – He is above every other name and every other affection.
- As we fast we draw closer to God as we prioritise him over even basic needs. Consequently, we put ourselves in a place where we are more aware of him – and hear God more clearly.
There is much more to say about benefits of fasting beyond the space that this blog allows, but it is important to mention that fasting has been the habit of many, many, many saints throughout the history of the church who have loved God and desired to see intimacy with him and change through him. Come expectant! I heard fasting described as a spiritual atomic bomb – may it be so with us this week! In order to help us with our fasting I want to give us some questions to consider – questions to pray through and reflect on. This helps to give us focus as we have an urge for that donut or pack of crisps!
TUESDAY
The verse for the day is:
“For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” (Ephesians 2:10)
Off the back of this verse consider these questions:
- If this passage from Ephesians is true, then what are the things that are stopping us from walking into that reality? What lies do we believe? What fears are we trapped by? What attitudes, selfishness and sin are we tolerating?
- What does “On earth as it is in heaven” look like in my life, in my relationships, in my workplace, in the way I do church, in my prioritise, in my dreams?
WEDNESDAY
The verse for the day is
“For the darkness is disappearing, and the true light is already shining.” (1 John 2:8)
- What does “On earth as it is in heaven” look like in Kingston and Ham – the communities in which God has placed us? What does the light of Jesus shining look like in our communities?
- Is there any form of darkness that we see evident in our communities that is greater than the light of Jesus?
THURSDAY
The verse for the day:
“He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them.” (2 Corinthians 5:15)
On this last day of the fast as we contemplate the Easter week-end – the death AND the resurrection of Jesus – I want us to consider what it means for our life now:
- “they will live for Christ,”
- “who died and was raised for them”
We will also be praying every evening at the church building in Kingston at 7:30pm. Apart from anything else, it is so much easier to fast when you are praying AND doing it together!
Some final notes:
- This blog post give more practical tips about preparing and handling the experience of Christian fasting. We are having fruit juice, water and vegetable soup BUT please be wise if you have a medical condition and do not fast if you are pregnant or breastfeeding. If this is you, think of alternative ways to fast so that you increase your time with Jesus, for instance fasting media / television / smart phones etc.
- Please do not break the fast with a massive binge on Thursday night. It is not healthy physically OR spiritually to do that. You’ll probably find that at that stage you’re not actually that hungry anymore and a few light bites will be enough to ease your digestive system into gear again.
