Fasting and praying instead: a meal or a day
Fasting is a little-known biblical practice. It is not a diet, nor a spiritual feat, but a very simple gesture: giving up eating for a time in order to turn to God. This quest offers an accessible version, "praying instead": you take the time of the meal to pray.
What it looks like in your day
Two options are possible, depending on your comfort:
- One meal. You choose a meal (lunch, for example) that you don't eat. At the hour when you would have eaten, you devote ten to twenty minutes to prayer: you take your Bible, settle apart, pray.
- One day. If you are more experienced and your health allows it, you can abstain from food for a day, continuing to drink water, and using the time of each meal to pray.
For both options, a few practical tips:
- Choose a purpose. Why are you fasting? A decision to make, a person to carry, a need to refocus, a season of reflection.
- Tell those close to you if you share your meals, to avoid misunderstandings.
- Drink enough water. Never put yourself in danger.
- End gently. Resume with the next meal simply, without throwing yourself at the food.
For a beginner, a single meal is more than enough. If you are in a hurry, choose a meal you would eat alone anyway, for example at your workplace. If you are shy about explaining your gesture, you have nothing to say: "I'm not hungry" is enough.
What the Bible says
Jesus speaks of fasting as a practice his disciples will know, and he gives a tip about discretion:
“Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face; That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.”
He doesn't say "if you fast" but "when ye fast." Fasting is assumed, but it must be lived without staging. The prophet Joel invites us to a fast that is a return of the heart:
“Therefore also now, saith the Lord, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning:”
Notice: "with all your heart." Fasting is a means, not an end. It expresses the attitude of the heart. In the church in Antioch, the leaders fast and minister to the Lord when the Spirit speaks to them (Acts 13:2-3). And Ezra proclaims a fast before a dangerous journey, to ask for God's protection (Ezra 8:23).
Pitfalls to avoid
Hurting yourself. Don't fast if you are pregnant, if you are nursing, if you have medical treatment that requires regular meals, if you are diabetic, if you have or have had an eating disorder, or if your health is fragile. In those cases, you can abstain from something else: screens, social networks, a leisure activity, and use the time to pray. If in doubt, talk to your doctor.
Fasting as a show. Jesus warns against those who display their fast to be seen. Stay discreet. If someone asks you, answer simply, without making it a point of pride.
Fasting as bargaining. "If I fast, God must answer me." No. Fasting doesn't force God's hand: it opens you to him. You don't earn a favor.
Fasting without prayer. If you abstain from eating but spend the time getting irritated about your hunger, the meaning is lost. Really replace the meal with time with God.
Judging those who don't fast. Fasting is a personal practice, never a measure of spirituality. Don't compare.
Choose a meal this week. Prepare a short list: a thank-you, a need, a person. Then devote the mealtime to God.