My dear sheep,
The Lord said to King Asa, through Azariah the son of Oded, "2 The LORD is with you while you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you. 3 For a long time Israel was without the true God, and without a teaching priest and without law, 4 but when in their distress they turned to the LORD, the God of Israel, and sought him, he was found by them. 5 In those times there was no peace to him who went out or to him who came in, for great disturbances afflicted all the inhabitants of the lands. 6 They were broken in pieces. Nation was crushed by nation and city by city, for God troubled them with every sort of distress. 7 But you, take courage! Do not let your hands be weak, for your work shall be rewarded.” (2 Chronicles 15:2-7) With this in mind, the elders decided to call for a special week of prayer and fasting.
As you are probably well aware, this will begin next week on the 22nd and run through to Sunday the 28th. Some of you have been asking questions about fasting and how the week will run. In light of that, I thought it might be helpful to provide you with an outline for the week and also some advice about fasting.
Prayer Week
Each evening we will gather from 7:30pm - 9:00pm to hear God's Word preached and to respond in prayer and song. Each night will have a particular theme as follows:
Sunday (21st) - Regular services, themed on preparing our hearts for the week
Monday (22nd) - The Need for Prayer
Tuesday (23rd) - Confession of Sin
Wednesday (24th) - Revive the Church
Thursday (25th) - Revive our Nation
Friday (26th) - Revive our World
Saturday (27th) - Save the Lost
Sunday (28th) - Regular services, themed on giving thanks to the Lord. Following the service we will break our fast with a shared lunch together, so please bring food to share.
Fasting
When commenting on the uniqueness of Christ's fasting in the wilderness, John Calvin makes an interesting little side comment, he says, "I am not speaking of fasting in general, for I would wish its use (as long as it is sound) could be more frequent among us."
Fasting is a spiritual discipline, whereby we abstain from food and other worldly pleasures in order to seek the Lord and acknowledge our total dependence upon Him, that man does not live by bread alone, but by the Word of the Lord.
For most of us in the 21st century, fasting is a quaint idea that we have never engaged in. So the idea of having a week long fast might sound a bit ludicrous. Maybe you did the 40 hour famine growing up and literally thought you were going to die. Now the elders are suggesting a ~160 hour fast, I can understand the apprehension!
With this in mind, I would like to provide you with some advice and guidance on how to enter into this week of fasting in order to benefit from it. (Please note that although there is a biblical precedent for mandating fasts on the people of God on special occasions; the elders have decided that the call to prayer includes an optional fasting element. This means it is up to you and your conscience before the Lord.)
How should I prepare?
You might be tempted to think that the best thing to do is eat as much food as possible on Sunday to "stockpile". I would strongly suggest you do not do this. When you stockpile before a fast, you actually make it harder on yourself. You stretch your stomach and the hunger pains tend to be worse. I would suggest you eat normally up to Saturday and then on Sunday eat several light meals.
What do I fast from?
It is up to the individual. A standard fast would include a fast from all but water (yes, no coffee!) The purpose is to set aside the things you normally enjoy in order to seek God and declare through action (to God) that you need him more than these regular things. For some of you, it might be too much to go without food for seven days. Let me provide you with some different fast options to consider:
Partial food fast - Allow yourself a very minimal diet of something very basic. For example, just a slice of bread and water instead of your regular meals.
Partial day fast - Choose some days of fasting and some days of eating. For example, you could fast Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Sunday. Or, you could fast two days and eat on the third.
Partial hour fast - Choose a fasting window during the day and do that each day. For example, eat a light breakfast and then fast for the rest of the day.
Non-food fast - Choose too fast from everything except food. Some of you might have medical conditions that would prevent you from fasting. I would encourage you to still enter into the process of fasting. Set aside all the regular pleasures of life and eat the minimum required for your medical condition.
Westminster divines help here, "A religious fast requires total abstinence, not only from all food, (unless bodily weakness do manifestly disable from holding out till the fast be ended, in which case somewhat may be taken, yet very sparingly, to support nature, when ready to faint,) but also from all worldly labour, discourses, and thoughts, and from all bodily delights, and such like, (although at other times lawful,) rich apparel, ornaments, and such like, during the fast; and much more from whatever is in the nature or use scandalous and offensive, as gaudish attire, lascivious habits and gestures, and other vanities of either sex; which we recommend to all ministers, in their places, diligently and zealously to reprove, as at other times, so especially at a fast, without respect of persons, as there shall be occasion."
What should I expect to feel like?
Hungry. I know, helpful! Fasting is an interesting exercise, it frequently leads to an increased attentiveness, concentration, and alertness. It definitely is different from person to person; some struggle with weakness and hunger pains, others do not. The wonderful thing about fasting is that every time you feel hungry, it reminds you to pray! Press into the hunger and cry out to the Lord as the one upon whom you are utterly dependant for every good thing.
Experience seems to suggest that the first three days are the worst and then it gets easier from there. Maybe we can share our experiences together after we are finished.
What do I do when I fast?
This is a time of spiritual exercises and disciplines. It is a time to seek the Lord while he may be found. It might seem very obvious, but the purpose of fasting is to spend time in the Word and prayer instead of eating. In order to help you, each morning (on this blog) I will send out three readings to use with some brief thoughts to help jog prayer. Set aside time in the morning, during your lunch break, and at dinner time to read, meditate, and pray.
What don't I do when I fast?
I know, eat! But seriously, Jesus says, "1 Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven....16 And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 17 But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, 18 that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you." (Mt 6:1, 16-18)
It is really important that we fast in the right way and for the right reasons, so consider the following guides:
Don't tell other people, but let your fasting be known to God alone.
Don't make it obvious to others, but let God see it and reward you.
Don't use it as a blackmailing tool, but as a discipline to draw near to God regardless of outcome.
Don't use it to earn God's favour; your Father already loves you because of the work of Christ, do it because he loves you.
Don't murmur and complain about being hungry, but celebrate the joy of seeking the Lord above everything else.
How do I end my fast?
By eating! We will break the fast with a shared lunch on Sunday the 28th. One small tip would be to not overeat. The temptation will be to stuff yourself full of food. The stomach can struggle after a long fast with lots of food.
May the Lord pour forth his blessing upon us!
Pastor Logan
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