Today is the final day of my churches corporate 3 days of prayer and fasting, and as is common with me as I come to the end of a fast I begin to wonder if the time was as effective as I had hoped it would be. Over the course of my life I have taken part in several fasts/periods with out eating, all with varying results in "effectiveness"
The first I can recall is participating in the "30 hour Famine" with my youth group, I believe I was about 13. This is in fact a fundraiser for World Vision. Students would get sponsorships to go 30 hours with out food, to help understand the plight of those people in the world who often go days with out food. All pledges went to World Vision to feed the hungry. I cannot recall how much I raised, but I would say that this was a successful event as we did accomplish our goal - provide money to help feed the hungry. Several other members of my churches youth group took part in the event, but there was in all actuality very little "spiritual" focus in the event, instead of getting together to pray we all went to the swimming pool and then spent the night sleeping on the floor at the church, the next day (after 30 hours had passed from when we first started) we had a large potluck. However, if you follow Isaiah's description of fasting, in that we are "...to share your bread with the hungry..." (Isaiah 58:7) than we were indeed having a "true fast" as the money that we could have used to buy food was given to someone else to buy food.
The next time I took part in a fast was several years later in my first year of VBC. We had a corporate 3-day fast. I do not recall all the specifics of the events of the fast, I do remember we started on a Thursday we ended on a Saturday, we had several more pray and chapel meetings to allow for the student bodies to join together in prayer, and I distinctly remember feeling the hungriest I ever felt by the middle of the day on Saturday...so hungry in fact that I downed a whole 1 litre box of apple juice just so I could feel full (regretted that shortly after). I also remember skipping the student body prayer meeting so I could hang out with a girl. As far as a fast that has allowed me the most time of prayer, I would say that this one was probably at the top of the list.
In my second and third year of VBC we also had 3 day corporate fasts, I do recall that for at least one, if not both of them, I did not fully participate in the fast, opting to eat at least one maybe two meals a day, but I did participate in the prayer meetings.
When I moved to Lethbridge the church I was attending was also in the habit of observing three days of prayer and fasting at least once a year. I do not recall how many of these fasts I took part in, but I do recall one with some significance. I believe I was already a manager of Sunglass hut, so this would have been sometime in 2007, I want to say March (however I may be entirely wrong). At any rate, I distinctly remember taking part in the 3 day prayer and fasting, I distinctly remember choosing to go entirely with out food for the time; and of most significance to this story, I remember at the end of the 3 days feeling that nothing was accomplished and that I must continue with the fast. I think I ate supper the 3rd night but then continued to go with out food for a few more days. I tried to take time to pray and to call out to God, but I really did not know what I was needing, and more often than not just ended up spending time in my room moping about. Finally, either on the 5th evening, or on the 6th morning of fasting I realized that I was not fasting, but simply going with out food, truly because I felt no desire to eat. Not to say I was depressed and did not want to live, I just did not feel the need to eat. Upon realizing this I got up from my bed and forced myself to eat. After that I changed my view on fasting, mainly I changed to the perspective that if I was not going to be able to dedicate significant time to prayer, then I should not go with out food; also that I should not fast just because every one else is, but because I chose to, whether because I am led of God to do so or because I wish to express my desperation for my Saviour.
As I mentioned the church I attend now in Calgary holds a 3-day pray and fast every year at the end of January. I have taken part in at least some capacity every year since I have moved permanently to the city each year I ask God to guide as to what I should fast (IE. all meals, one meal a day, meat, etc) I also tend to forgo many of my common distractions (TV, video games, Movies) to allow myself to dedicate the time I would usually waste to Prayer (often I would not fast on the days that I knew I would not be able to dedicate time to prayer). Sometimes it works sometimes it does not. Sometime I feel that much is accomplished, sometime I do not. Sometimes I get revelation or maybe even a fresh passion from God, other times I come out of the time just physically hungry and a few pounds lighter. This years fast is feeling somewhat like a futile effort. I had decided before hand that I would go with out video games, movies and frivolous Internet use and instead pray or read the bible or some of my text books, I decided on the first day of the fast that I would also abstain from food for the 3 days (largely because I was out of food in the house and didn't feel like going out for breakfast). Most of the first day went well I got through a few chapters in a book for my world missions class, and had not wasted much time on line. I did not, however, dedicate a whole lot of time for prayer and meditation, some for bible study and what not, but not a lot. The second day I spent the day with my friend who is also participating in the fast. We did go to the prayer meeting at the church in the evening, but most of the days was spent visiting or surfing the Internet...mind you nearly all of that was looking for a job. Today, being the third and final day, I am going to the final prayer meeting at the church. I have spent the morning reading my book or playing piano. Meant to get some time of prayer in, but then felt a burning need to share my thoughts so I began composing this post. As to the fruitfulness of this time of Prayer and Fasting, I will say: Only time will tell, at the moment I am some what torn as I feel that it could have been more effective...
Perhaps the most significant time of Fasting I can recall was about two years ago when I partook, as best as I could, in the Islamic month of Ramadan. Ramadan, for those who do not know, is the most holy Islamic month, where all Muslims devote themselves to prayer and fasting, the intention of which is to atone and purify oneself of all sin committed since last Ramadan. Islam, is a very dedicated and sincere religion with devote Muslims normally kneeling to pray 5 to 6 times a day, but during Ramadan they pray 7 times a day. Muslims usually gather on Fridays nights for congregational prayers and teachings, during Ramadan they usually gather every night for prayer and teachings. When a Muslim fast they forgo all food and drink from sunrise to sunset. They consider the fast broken or invalid if anything (food or drink) enters the body or if something is expelled from the body (purposeful vomiting, menstrual bleeding, etc) or by engaging in sexual intercourse; some would argue that the fast is invalid too if you failed to keep your thoughts pure and focused on Allah (eg. my Muslim friend and I went to a movie near the end of Ramadan, there was a rather explicit sex scene and we ended up leaving because of it, but my friend stated "Ramadan is ruined now, I should just go eat something!"). If a Muslim intentionally or unintentionally broke their fast they can make up the days they "missed" at a later time. Usually this is just fasting an additional day for each day they missed (in the case of being ill or most woman would have to make up a week) however in some instances (eg. having sex when one is suppose to be fasting) the transgressors have to fast and additional 60 days (or so I have read). (One can also make up for time missed by feeding a needy person) There are also concessions that allow certain people to be exempt from fasting (eg. elderly, or those whom fasting would cause undue physical stress, such as diabetics) as well if you are traveling more than a specified distance you are exempt from fasting (although Muslims are strongly encouraged to make up for these concessions buy either fasting on make up days or feeding the poor). As mentioned the idea of Ramadan is to dedicate yourself to Allah, to avoid wronging your fellow man in any way, and to avoid anything that is obscene or irreligious. Purity is stressed. The purpose is to bring oneself closer to Allah and (perhaps not so on the nose) to make up for your sins.
My journey through Ramadan came as a result of several factors. First I had recently met my friend Adham. He was living with my best friend, he had moved here to learn English and he was hoping to get into a masters degree program at one of the Canadian universities. He moved here in June of 2010, and was pining for home as Ramadan was approaching, wondering how he would do with out a whole community to go through it with him. I was trying to help him connect to the Muslim community in Calgary and began to look into Ramadan. Secondly, I was experiencing a period in my life of lack of direction and was feeling that I need to refocus myself. Third, and most importantly, I felt a fairly clear prodding from God that I was to participate in Ramadan, not the going to the Mosque to pray, but the forgoing food and drink for 30 days and seeking God during that time. I told Adham of my decision and he was encouraged to have some one to share in Ramadan, but was concerned that I did not know what I was doing. I stuck it out and fasted for the whole month of Ramadan, I did not miss a single day, unlike Adham who took a few days off because he went on a trip. Adham and I would meet almost every night to go out for dinner and I remember coming over a couple times and he looked just miserable. On those occasions he would look at me and I would smile, "Why are you happy? Did you not eat the whole day? How can you look so good?" I would smile and tease him, "I guess I am just a better Muslim than you Adham." We would laugh and check the time to make sure it was sundown and go find a place to eat and talk about our day.
Ramadan was a very different experience, I would like to do it again, but do not know if I will do it while in Canada...I think it would be a very good experience to be in a Islamic country during Ramadan. One thing I am very grateful for is a better understanding of Islam that I gained through this, having been called as a missionary by God it is no doubt that I will be called to areas where Islam is the predominate religion and this experience will help me in showing Gods love to them. (I even had a very vivid dream of late about preaching to a room full of high school students most of whom where Muslim, perhaps I will elaborate more on it in a later post)
I have found through my many times of Prayer and Fasting that there is always a result. The result is quite often not what I expected, but there is always a result. More often than not it is a change in my heart, as it probably should be. Looking over the occasions of prayer and fasting I have had, I honestly could not point to any specific changes that I could say came as a result, but I can say that each time I go through these times I come out feeling closer to God and experience a renewal in my faith, whether it be a rekindling of the passion I have for Him that had been waning, or renewed vision of what God's call on my life really is (an increased passion to do the will of the Father), or on few rare occasions a much clearer direction in how I should progress in the next few months. I know I often feel frustrated, either during the fast or shortly after, that I did not do enough; I did not dedicate enough time to prayer during my fast. To which I must remind myself that fasting is not a "best Christian competition", we are saved by grace, not by working, but I must also exhort myself to remember to make a fast meaningful by not simply going with out food but also cutting other distractions out of my so I can pursue God and as to remind myself that HE IS MY EVERYTHING.
Finally, I would like to end on some thoughts on fasting in general: There are many types of Fasting, many religions have fasting, or at least the idea of deny you body a need for the sake of purification or to draw oneself closer to God or what have you. Aside from Presbyterian Christian, most Abrhamic religions (Judaism, Islam, even more orthodox Christians) observe ritualistic, regular fasting at certain times of the year. For these religions, as with Christianity in general, fasting is an expression of our need for God, a seeking to be close to him, and for those with out Jesus, a duty to seek abolishment from sin and rescuing from punishment. For Christians in general, it is a time of reminding ourselves that "Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God" (Matthew 4:3) that we are lost with out God. It is also a spiritual discipline that strengthens our faith, and it is tied closely with intersession, seeking the hand of God, asking for direction, and dedication (see acts 13 and 14). Christians like to come up with different types of fasting too: There is the typical fast, where one goes with out food for a set length, 3 days is common, but you could fast a single meal, or some go 40 days with out food (just as Christ did before he started his ministry). Something that recently has become popular is to do a "Daniel Fast" where people chose to eat only fruits and vegetables for a length of time (it is named after the diet of Daniel and his friends in Babylon, the refused to eat the meat offered to idols so only at vegetables and fruit), 30-days is common. This fast is increasing in popularity in Charismatic/Pentecostal churches, however, it is really not all that different from the traditional Lent observations of the Roman Catholic and other more "orthodox" churches, where abstaining from meat and other rich foods for the 40 days preceding Easter is very common. Others chose to deny themselves certain pleasure, such as watching T.V. or playing video games, often they do this in correlation with abstaining from food, but sometimes not, again this is very similar to many of the current practices of Lent.
My opinion on the matter, is that it really doesn't matter how or what you fast or give up, what ever you chose to do, should be a sacrifice for you, and that you should not simply go with out, but also need to add prayer and service to God. There are no direct instructions as to what we should fast in the bible, no verses that say "Thou must be with out food for 39 days to be holy" We do not see that, but what we do see are very clear instructions on HOW to fast (as well as many examples of individuals fasting in the bible). Most of the examples we see of fast, particularly in the Old Testament, show people weeping and crying, dressing in sackcloth and throwing ashes on their head while fasting (fasting was often a sign of mourning or extreme grief), and we often see God move on their behalf, but we also see that there are those who preformed this "ritual" to make themselves appear holy. These people received a rebuke not only from Jesus (see Matthew 6:16) but straight from heaven through Isaiah in Isaiah 58. The entire chapter of Isaiah 58 tells us that God is will respond to "Fasting" that involves taking care of those poor and in need, than to the fasting where one dresses himself in a potato sack, sits in the old fire pit and rolls around in the dirt. This not to say that God does not bend his ear when we chose to forgo worldly satisfaction and deny our body physical comfort as a sign of our crying out to God in need, but if we it out of the wrong motivation, out of a heart to "prove I am holy than Joe", then our prayers and fasting are pointless. Jesus spoke on this as well in Matthew 6:16-18:
“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. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, 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." (ESV)
Jesus makes it clear what our motivation should be...to cry out to God, not to show others how holy we are. I believe fasting, if you are able, should be apart of your Christian faith (and if unable that you should seek to sacrifice some other aspect of your life). I believe there is a level of spiritual maturity that comes out of sacrificing our physical comfort and dedicating time to God in prayer. I also believe that a fast is pointless if we do not give our time to God and seek for ways we can serve others. I will not, however, command anyone to fast or tell anyone how or what they should fast. That should be a decision you make on your own, particularly with insight from God. If you think that you should fast, ask God what he would like you to give up, ask him how he would like you to serve others, and once you have decided to do a fast stick it out and do not falter. You may be surprised of the results.
"If my people who are called by my name (A)humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land." 2 Chronicles 7:14
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