2006-08-11
Good Morning Dear Ones,
Last week's message ended with comments about MT 9: 14-15, Christ's conversation with the Pharisees about hypocrisy in fasting. This raises the question: what is the true function of fasting? The Pharisees were fasting mostly for show and didn't understand what it was really supposed to do.
By nature, we are preoccupied with our bodies. We think about being hungry, and we have even made the presentation of a good meal associated with affirmation and acceptance, ceremony, and special occasions. Madison Avenue advertisers send the message that a good host or a good parent is always the producer of a good meal. This has little to do with Christ's intent. 1) Instead, He wants us to be released from our preoccupation with our body's appetites, so that we can focus more intently on God. I still want to say that fasting done in excess is just as bad as the person who is constantly preoccupied with eating. 2) Genuine fasting is also a call to serious communication with the Lord. That is why genuine fasting often is done when a serious issue has come up where the Lord's input is needed. 3) Genuine fasting is also a way to defer and even eliminate human agendas. We can assume with reasonable accuracy that someone like Martin Luther probably fasted as He followed the Lord's direction in establishing the 99 Theses that would spark the Reformation. At a time like that, He had to be focused on God's agenda and not human ones. Of course this was done on the backdrop of his revulsion at the taking of indulgences that was being practiced by the Catholic church up to that time. But, Martin Luther was taking his direction from God, asking for God's will not that of another person.
Kay Arthur, the leader of Precepts Ministries out of Chattanooga, TN, and an author and teacher of the word of God, remembers her experience at a convocation led by Dr. Bill Bright, the founder of Campus Crusade for Christ back in '94. This group was brought together to pray and fast for revival in our nation. They met for 40 days just as the Lord had put on Dr. Bright's heart during a previous fast. Out of this experience, he wrote the book, The Coming Revival: America's Call to Fast, Pray, and Seek God's Face. This is by far not the only such convocation that has been brought together to further the Lord's purposes.
In JN 17, we find Christ's prayers for the people just before He was to go to the cross. JN 17: 1b-3, "'Father, the hour has come. Give glory to Your Son, so that the Son may give glory to You. For You gave Him authority over all mankind, so that He might give eternal life to all those You gave Him. And eternal life means to know You, the only true God, and to know Jesus Christ, Whom You sent.'" This kind of meaningful communication is an example of the focused relationship that the Son and the Father exemplify for us. The Lord Jesus had some important requests for the Father, ones that were not interfered with by a preoccupation with the appetites from His human side. JN 17: 11, "And now I am coming to You; I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world. Holy Father! Keep them safe by the power of Your name, the name You gave Me, so that they may be one just as you and I are One." In verses 15-19, Christ prays for us to have safety from Satan and that we should be dedicated to God and the truth. And later in (24), "Father! You have given them to Me, and I want them to be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory, the glory You gave Me; for You loved Me before the world was made."
The Lord Jesus was perfect, so He didn't need to confess sin to the Father. But we are imperfect and often do have this need. 4) So, this can be an appropriate time to fast as long as our confession is genuine. This is a time to beseech God to have mercy and to bring about a revival in our own lives based on His word. I can write about this from first-hand experience, and God's response in my life all those years ago was to give me an insatiable hunger for His word, to give me the ability to remember what I study, to give me opportunities to lead classes based on His word, and to bring me to a congregation which centers all its activity on His word. I believe He would do the same for anyone who genuinely asks for such a blessing.
Before moving on to the next issue, let me return to the first purpose for fasting mentioned above-turning our eyes to God alone. I feel confident in saying that Ezra was doing this when he wrote EZRA 8: 22-23, a passage I use often in writing prayer requests. "The gracious hand of our God is on everyone who looks to Him, but His great anger is against all who forsake Him. So we fasted and petitioned our God about this, and He answered our prayer." This was part of a prayer that God would lead and protect the people in their journey out of exile home to Israel. Confession and forgiveness are the subjects of PS 33. PS 33: 22, "May Your constant love be with us, Lord, as we put our hope in You." Once again, the focus is solely on God in this. And one of the most beautiful expressions of focus and love on God comes from David's acknowledgement of our need to make a sanctuary for the Spirit in PS 43: 3-4, "Send forth Your light and Your truth, let them guide me; let them bring me to Your holy mountain, to the place where You dwell. Then will I go to the altar of God, to God, my Joy and my Delight. I will praise You with the harp, O Go, my God." We must remember that David's heart, an example to us, is why God called him "a man after My own heart."
PRAYER: O Lord, all the goodness and love that is in world comes from You. How quickly we take these blessings for granted and forget to acknowledge Your amazing grace! PS 31: 19, "How wonderful are the good things You keep for those who honor You! Everyone knows how good You are, how securely You protect those who trust You." Everything good that we have comes from You, Dearest Abba. PS 16: 2, "I said the Lord, 'You are my Lord. Every good thing I have comes from You.'" The capacity to genuinely love You and other people is a great blessing. It has soothed many a ruffled feather in times of conflict and/or trouble. How important it really is to we who believe that we don't face our trials alone! We can always turn to You, and that is Your will. We can place our trust in You never to abandon us in our time of need. PS 84: 12, "O Lord of hosts, how blessed is the man who trusts in You!" You give us prayer and urge us, when it's appropriate, to fast in preparation for serious communication with You. The purpose of this is not to show off to those around us or to fast in excess so as to compromise our physical health. Instead, it is to give us a way to focus entirely on You. Genuinely accomplished fasting blesses us and honors You. We can count on You and want to learn how to enable You to count on us. PS 89: 14-16, " Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; love and faithfulness go before You. Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim You, who walk in the light of Your presence, O Lord. They rejoice in Your name all day long; they exult in Your righteousness." By giving us Your Son on the cross, You have also given us the opportunity to be righteous by our faith in Him. We are forever grateful to You, for Who You are and what You do. We worship, adore, praise, and thank You forever. In Christ's mighty name, we pray. Amen.
Next week, we will begin looking at examples of fasting from the Bible. There are many great lessons in this from the past experiences of others. I would be remiss if I didn't repeat how blessed we are by having God's very own words to add texture, meaning, and purpose to our lives. It is by the supernatural quality of His word that lives like my own and yours can be transformed and made infinitely, even eternally, better. That is only one example of God's goodness on this earth. If fasting helps an individual or a group of people to focus on God, to communicate more effectively with God, to confess more openly with God, and to share in God's glory, then doing it is wholly appropriate. If we will open our hearts to God and become fully committed to Him, our lives will be blessed beyond anything one could imagine. This leaves me to close with a wonderful reminder from 2 CH 16: 9, "The eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Him." Be strengthened in faith and showered with God's blessings. There is no better way to live!
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn