It has been a good week. As I have been asking around the community I have heard lots of people say that they have felt the nearness of God. I would have to agree! Fasting is a funny exercise. I grew up with a concept of fasting as something that only the really serious and devoted Christians did and not something for everyone. My family always engaged in it and I grew to recognize it as part of what we did. But, as I got older and went to various churches during my university years, I began to see that most people were not really interested in going hungry as a way of praying. In fact, there was a decade or more when I barely heard the word "fasting". Once I taught a class on it at a church I worked in and was surprised to hear what people thought fasting was all about. More recently, I have been equally entertained at how often people have chosen to fast TV or internet. While it is a wise idea to restrict your usage of both of these, it is not biblical fasting. To fast in the bible, you have to stop eating. And, you have to pray.
The other twist on fasting that I hear a lot is "I am going to really fast a long time so that God will give me what I am asking for", as though the person has engaged in some kind of hunger strike, and demands will be met or else. Of course, God is never pushed around by us...ever. He is not even impressed by our efforts. There is nothing we are going to do in fasting that is going to force Him to respond. It is a weak and illogical exercise by any human standard.
But, fasting gets us in touch with our weakness and lets our spirit become sensitive to God. It is part of what is meant in Joel 2 when the direction is given to "turn with your whole heart". God does not respond to fasting...He responds to wholeheartedness. And fasting is a tool that takes us there like few others. This week I felt the weakness and realized my spirit was softer to the nearness of God. He was speaking and I was hearing. I know that He is not inpressed. Rather, He is thrilled!
The more you do it, the more you want it to never end. God is near and I can feel Him. I know that for many they don't feel anything during the fast but reap the rewards of their time of devotion weeks and months later. It has not been my experience but it, too, is a real one. May you be blessed to experience all this and more as you turn to Him.
Brian Creary
Ministry Director
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