Tough Questions: Why do Christians fast?
Reflections
“Taking fasting seriously as a spiritual discipline, especially during this season of Lent, has the potential to change us forever, but only if we use it to intensify our relationship with the Lord,” says The Rev’d Charlie Lacey
Fasting is a Christian spiritual discipline and one that we particularly associate with the season of Lent, but what is fasting and why do we do it?
For many Christians in the modern West, fasting is giving up a luxury food item for Lent, for example, chocolate or coffee. Whilst this has its benefits, which we’ll discuss later, fasting is more typically going without food for a specified period. Fasting is not distinctly Christian (Muslims fast), or spiritual (a growing number of people practise intermittent fasting for health reasons), nor is it commanded anywhere in Scripture. However, we know that Jesus fasted for forty days in the desert, and it would seem that he expected his followers to fast, too.
Matthew 6. 16-18
“When you fast, do not look sombre as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”
Notice that Jesus did not say, “If you fast”, but “When you fast”. Fasting is something that Jesus expected his followers to do. Moreover, he indicated that fasting should be done in such a way as to go unnoticed by all but God. This points to the entirely Godward focus and purpose of fasting. When we fast, we renounce something good (usually food), as a way of expressing our need for something greater. It is a way of accepting the fact that we need the Lord more than food, and even life itself. Experiencing the hunger that accompanies fasting reminds us of our hunger for God and our need to turn to him in prayer. If done with the right motives, fasting will intensify our prayer lives.
Fasting is not a means to impress others or show how pious we are; nor is it a formula to receive what we have asked for in prayer. Moreover, if our overriding thought when fasting is, “I can’t wait to eat something”, then we have probably missed the point altogether. A true fast will bring us closer to God, which will ultimately change us for the better. In Isaiah 58, God condemns Israel’s days of fasting for being all show and no substance. Though they fasted, they continued to disregard the poor and the needy, and injustice and oppression persisted unabated.
Taking fasting seriously as a spiritual discipline, especially during this season of Lent, has the potential to change us forever, but only if we use it to intensify our relationship with the Lord.
There are of course some for whom fasting is not recommended: diabetics, pregnant women, those with a history of eating disorders and so on. However, going without specific foods or even abstaining from social media or gaming can help us draw closer to God if that is our motive. The most important thing about fasting is a heartfelt desire for God and his work in our lives.
First published on the St Andrew’s, Springfield website in March 2024.
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