Fasting and prayer: a way to return to God with all your heart
Fasting is present in every era of the Bible: in great decisions, in times of crisis, in seasons of repentance. It is not a feat reserved for saints, but a practice open to all whom God calls to turn to him more seriously. This monthly quest invites you to take it up in a suitable and thoughtful way.
What it looks like in your day
1. Choose an intention. Why are you fasting? A decision to make, a bereavement, a crisis, a return to God, a time of repentance, a request for someone, a need to refocus. Write it in one sentence.
2. Choose a suitable length. Be realistic:
- One meal: a first experience.
- One day: from rising to bedtime, with water.
- A partial fast: giving up one food, meat, sweets, television.
- A comfort fast: social networks, screens, leisure.
3. Check your health. Don't fast from food if you are pregnant, if you are nursing, if you have an illness that rules it out, if you have an eating disorder. Consult a doctor if in doubt. A comfort fast is then an excellent alternative.
4. Replace with prayer. At each moment when you would have eaten or used your comfort, pray: read the Bible, ask, listen.
5. Stay sober and discreet. No complaining, no publicity. Carry on your activities normally.
6. End gently. Resume eating with a light meal.
7. Write down what happened. What you understood, received, decided.
If you are in a hurry, just one meal with an intention. If you are shy, fasting is discreet. If you don't know why to fast, start with one meal, simply asking God to refocus you.
What the Bible says
The prophet Joel sounds a call from God:
“Therefore also now, saith the Lord, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning: And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the Lord your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil.”
"Turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning: And rend your heart, and not your garments": fasting is a means, the return of the heart is the goal. Isaiah makes it precise, facing a people who fasted without changing their lives:
“Wherefore have we fasted, say they, and thou seest not? wherefore have we afflicted our soul, and thou takest no knowledge? Behold, in the day of your fast ye find pleasure, and exact all your labours. Behold, ye fast for strife and debate, and to smite with the fist of wickedness: ye shall not fast as ye do this day, to make your voice to be heard on high. Is it such a fast that I have chosen? a day for a man to afflict his soul? is it to bow down his head as a bulrush, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? wilt thou call this a fast, and an acceptable day to the Lord? Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke? Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?”
The fast God prefers is linked to justice: loosing the bands of wickedness, sharing your bread with the hungry. A fast without compassion is not his. Jesus, asked about his disciples' fasting, answers that they will fast when the bridegroom is taken from them (Matthew 9:14-15): Christian fasting is tied to the waiting for Jesus.
Pitfalls to avoid
Fasting without a change of life. Isaiah denounces exactly this. A fast that influences neither the way you love nor your justice has missed its goal.
Fasting as performance. Don't try to fast longer than others. Duration is not a title.
Putting yourself in danger. Listen to your body. Stop if necessary.
Judging. Some cannot fast; others do it differently. No ranking.
Expecting a guaranteed result. Fasting doesn't compel God. It places you before him in earnest.
This month, choose an intention and a suitable length. Give up a meal or a comfort, and devote that time to God.