How long do you think you could go without food? How many days could you fast? How committed are you to a cause? Are you committed enough to go without food as a form of protesting? How committed to God are you? Are you willing to fast to grow closer to him?
Most of us like to eat. We may even like to eat too much. There are certain foods we like more than others. When those foods are being served, we overeat, maybe to the point of being miserable. We don’t often think about purposely missing a meal or fasting.
There are some who have used fasting as a form of protest. They will go on a hunger strike. One hunger strike lasted for 94 days in Ireland in 1920. However, the medical viewpoint is that the average person can only fast for 60-70 days before death occurs. By this point, the person has lost 40-50 percent of their body weight.
Jesus fasted for 40 days. Unlike those who have used a hunger strike as a form of protest, Jesus used His fast to build His relationship with the Father and to prepare for His ministry. Though some may believe there is no way a person could fast for 40 days, there have been several throughout history who have. However, not many have done so to grow closer to God.
Matthew makes perhaps the biggest understatement in the Bible when he says Jesus was famished after fasting for 40 days. Though God desires us to grow closer to him, he does not call us to fast for 40 days. However, it can be very helpful and enlightening for us to fast for a day or two. During our fast, we are to spend time in prayer and contemplation, focusing on God and seeking his guidance. We are to learn to trust and lean on God. It is in our seeking that our relationship with him grows.
I pray we all trust that Jesus fasted for 40 days. I pray we understand that fasting is used to seek God. I pray each of us fast for a short period of time to grow our relationship with God. Trust Scripture. Know fasting has a purpose. Fast for a day or two. Seek God during your fast.
Matthew 4:1-2 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tested by the devil. He fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterward he was famished.
Marty Pressey 