“Even now,” declares the LORD,

   “return to me with all your heart,

   with fasting and weeping and mourning.” – Joel 2:12

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Have you ever fasted before? Fasting is when one abstains from food in order to focus on prayer and communion with God. You may be someone who fasts regularly, or maybe you’ve never engaged with this spiritual discipline before at all. Certainly, fasting can be challenging, but the rewards of this discipline can be really rich, as well!

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Why would I fast?

Fasting is a beautiful way to remind our hearts that, ”Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matt. 4:4). Because eating is so basic to our survival as humans – which is how God designed us! – forsaking that need is a powerful way to focus our hearts back on God’s true provision.

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This passage from Joel also illuminates the unique connection fasting has to confession.  “’Even now,’ declares the LORD, ‘return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning’” (Joel 2:12). It can break down our walls and be an avenue through which we can whole-heartedly come to God in prayer, confessing to him what has divided our hearts from closeness with him.

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What is more, fasting is one way we can invite ourselves into the secret place with God. In Matthew 6:16-18, Jesus says, “When you fast, do not look somber 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.”

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How do I fast?

While there isn’t really a right or wrong way to fast, as it’s all about the heart of the matter not some set of rules, fasting generally looks something like this:

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1. Abstain from eating for a set period of time. This could be for as little as a meal or two, such as fasting until dinner time one day (24 hours meal-to-meal), or many days in a row. Some people fast food entirely; some do juice or liquid-only diets for their time of fasting. I encourage you to pray about this and consider what would challenge you enough to really have to depend on Jesus to sustain you during this time, but that would also be doable based on your prior experience with fasting, dietary and health needs, etc.

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2. Then, during your fast, any time you feel hungry, long for food, or would normally spend time preparing a meal, instead, PRAY! Allow every hunger pang to launch you into prayer, whether it is a quick mental prayer for reliance on God as you type out a work email, or if it is a more sustained time of prayer when you would normally be making dinner.

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So, here’s my challenge to you today as we seek to grow in prayer this week: If you’ve never fasted before, consider fasting until dinner today. Each time you feel hungry, go to God in prayer, asking him to sustain you and teach you more about his love and care for you as you rely on him today in this unique way. Then, when dinner time comes around, approach your meal with praise for how God provides us with good things to meet the needs of his creation. Ending your fast in a time of praise – maybe even at church tonight! – can be a way to truly make your fast not just about waiting until it’s time to eat again, but about deepening your relationship with the Lord and your reliance on him.