“But someday the groom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast.” (Mark 2:20, NLT)
It was just a few weeks ago that we started meeting together in our connect groups and I have been so encouraged to hear about the great discussions, deep thinking and times of prayer that have been happening during the week amongst those involved (and if you are still wanting to join a connect group, then please look at the connect information provided and get in contact with the leader to find out times and places etc…). Now I’m mentioning this because just this past week our connect had an interesting text come up in the gospel according to Mark (which is cited above) which got us thinking, reflecting and looking for an application all together, which ended in a time of prayer about the text before us. So what was the question? Well quite simply, “should Christian’s fast and pray?” Now just a few things to say on that before I give my answer.
First, fasting is without exaggeration a deeply biblical practice. Just a quick word search in any bible software program and you will be faced with around 78 references. For example, looking just in the Old Testament alone, fasting was observed in the face of public calamity (2 Sam 1:12), in both open and hidden affliction (Ps 35:13, 2 Sam 12:16). We see people fast when facing danger (Esth 4:16) and to humble oneself before the Lord (Deut 9:18, Neh 9:1). The list goes on. So we observe that fasting was something that was done corporately, privately or quietly in Israel, but, and this must be observed, fasting biblically was usually always connected with prayer (Dan 9:3, 1 Sam 7:6).
So secondly we might say that fasting and prayer should go together because if prayer is absent, the focus becomes about the experience of the lack of food and not on the object of who provides for our every need, and that’s the Lord Almighty Himself. And I say that because that’s what we observed in our text lest week with Jesus. He begun His public ministry out in the Judean desert with fasting and prayer (Matt 4:1-11). Why did Jesus mix fasting with prayer? Because His trust was in YHWH who provided for His every need in the face of temptation (Matt 4:4). So He gave Himself fully over to the task of prayer, denying Himself any time to go in search for food or water for 40 days. Wow, and believe it or not, He encouraged His disciples to do the same (c.f. Matt 6:16-18, albeit not in the same context). Therefore thirdly we might ask, did the early church follow our Lord’s example? Well unsurprisingly yes they did. When Paul and Barnabas were ordained as missionaries to go to Europe, the church in Antioch prayed and fasted (Acts 13:3). We also read that when Paul and Barnabas appointed elders in the local church, it was done so in the midst of prayer and fasting (Acts 14:23). We also see that Paul commended different types of fastings in the church, so one could totally and utterly give themselves over to prayer (see 1 Cor 7:5)
So with all that said, where did we land? First, that fasting is usually done in a context that is perpetuated by an external event where the people of God either want to or need to give themselves over fully to the task of prayer. Second, that fasting isn’t a dietary exercise as much as it is about focusing on the One who provides all. And third, we may have come to neglect this practice because prayer with fasting seems to have fallen out of popularity in the modern church.
Great things to consider and ponder and these discussions are wonderful to have in the midst of food (ironically), friendship and prayer. Might I encourage you, if you haven’t already, to get in contact and involved in a connect so that you too can experience deeper Christian fellowship and discussion with those whom we call brothers and sister in Christ.