![]() ![]() To express love and worship for God (e.g., see Luke 2:37)įasting can show, as John Piper says, that “what we hunger for most, we worship.”⁴ To overcome temptation and dedicate yourself to God (e.g., see Matthew 4:1 – 11)įasting can help us focus when we are struggling with particular temptations. We can use time we’d normally spend eating to fast and minister to others. ![]() To minister to the needs of others (e.g., see Isaiah 58:3 – 7) To express concern for the work of God (e.g., see Nehemiah 1:3 – 4)Īs with Nehemiah, fasting can be a tangible sign of our concern over a particular work God is doing. “Remember that fasting itself is not humility before God,” reminds Donald Whitney, “but should be an expression of humility.”³ 7. To humble oneself before God (e.g., see 1 Kings 21:27 – 29) This type of fasting helps us to express grief over our sins and shows our seriousness about returning to the path of godly obedience. To express repentance and a return to God (e.g., see 1 Samuel 7:6) In Scripture, this type of fast is generally carried out with other believers. To seek deliverance or protection (e.g., see 2 Chronicles 20:3 – 4)Īnother common reason for fasting in the Old Testament was to seek deliverance from enemies or circumstances. A prime example occurs in 2 Samuel 1:12, where David and his men are described as having “mourned and wept and fasted till evening” for their friends, their enemies and their nation. Ever notice that when you’re moved to tears by grief you lose the urge to eat? When we grieve, our family and friends often have to plead with us to eat because our body’s appropriate response to grief is to fast. To express grief (e.g., see 1 Samuel 31:13)Įxpressing grief is one of the primary reasons for fasting. To seek God’s guidance (e.g., see Judges 20:26)Īs with prayer, fasting to seek God’s guidance isn’t done to change God but to make us more receptive to his guidance. As Arthur Wallis says, “Fasting is calculated to bring a note of urgency and importunity into our praying, and to give force to our pleading in the court of heaven.”² 2. Fasting does not change whether God hears our prayers, but it can change our praying. Numerous incidents in the Old Testament connect fasting to prayer, especially intercessory prayer. To strengthen prayer (e.g., see Ezra 8:23) Here are ten primary purposes for fasting mentioned in Scripture:¹ 1. Whenever you fast, do so for a reason that is mentioned or modeled in the Bible. But other times a fast is not a spontaneous reaction and we have time to prepare to respond both physically and spiritually.įasting is not an end unto itself, but a means of focusing our minds and bodies for a spiritual reason. Throughout the Bible we most often find God’s people turn to fasting as the natural, inevitable response to a grievous sacred moment in life, such as death, sin and tragedy. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |