Jesus has been speaking to the crowds about the spiritual disciplines. He has spoken to them about giving and He has spoken to them about prayer. Spiritual disciplines are important in a Christian’s life, and we should practice these activities regularly as part of our usual activities before God. These things are part of our worship. Now, Jesus begins to speak to the crowds about fasting.
Fasting is another spiritual discipline that Christians practice. This one is much less straight forward and less understood. Fasting is generally done in conjunction with prayer that the Christian might concentrate more fully on the things of God, to humbly focus entirely on God. Jesus Himself fasted for 40 days in the wilderness trusting in God to meet His most basic physical needs. Believers fast in order to strengthen their prayers, to seek divine guidance when they pray, and to demonstrate genuine repentance before God. It is a physical way of surrendering worldly comforts in search of spiritual benefit, recognizing that we can depend on Him for all of our needs. Fasting allows us to put aside physical concerns and put time alone with God first in our priorities.
Notice that Jesus simply assumed people fasted. He did not say if you fast. He said when you fast. Jesus addressed the subject as a foregone conclusion. As Christians, fasting should be a natural and normal part of our prayer life. The Bible does not give us any instruction on how often we should be fasting, so this is strictly a matter between you and God. Some Christians fast in the mornings, after awakening, until they have spent time in prayer. Some Christians may set aside a day here or there to spend longer periods of time in prayer while fasting. Abstaining from food for a period of time in order to spend more time with God in prayer can be very helpful in drawing the Christian closer in an attitude of prayer and fasting in this manner is practiced by many.
Many believers pair fasting with prayer to help strengthen their prayer effort before God by centering their focus and to help remove distractions (Ezra 8:23). Fasting helps a Christian directly focus on God during prayer by setting aside physical concerns for the time.
Many early church leaders fasted when making important decisions, such as selecting church elders or preparing for dangerous journeys (Acts 13:2). Fasting can help a Christian to seek God’s guidance (Judges 20:26). Fasting can also be used in prayer when a Christian wishes to show repentance for sin and makes the setting aside of physical comforts part of his posture before God as he confesses and repents his wrongdoing (Joel 2:12). This is one way of showing the Lord you are sorry for your sin. A person may also fast when they simply need to humble themself before God.
Many people have come to God with prayer and fasting when facing seriously dangerous enemies (Esther 4:16). Fasting can show the Lord how sincerely and strongly you are seeking His help. Fasting adds a level of intensity to any request you make to the Lord by showing Him that you are approaching Him in an extremely sincere manner with great heaviness of heart.
People may approach the Lord by fasting if they are fighting great temptations in their life and are seeking the Lord’s help in resisting sin. Fasting can get us through some seriously tough spiritual battles. And sometimes, people simply take up prayer and fasting for the purpose of intense worship of their God.
Jesus taught His disciples, also, that there were certain demon possessions which could only be driven out by prayer and fasting (Matt 17:21, Mark 9:29). Some of the enemy’s demons are strong and require such measures. Prayer combined with fasting is needed to drive these out.
Here in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus cautioned about fasting for the wrong reasons. He warned the crowds that they should not fast publicly, to be seen by men. When Christians fast, they should do it privately so that only they and the Lord know that they are fasting. Fasting will express our intensity of prayer to God and our sincerity, but no one else needs to be aware of it. It is a personal, spiritual moment. Fasting isn’t about public recognition, but rather it is a spiritual time between the Christian and His God.
Some people fast to express extreme grief (1 Sam 31:13). It can be very beneficial to bare your soul before the Lord and let out your grief before Him.
Isaiah 58:6-7 tell us some details God would like us to include when we fast and that is to share our food with the hungry. In this OT chapter, God makes it clear that in our self-sacrificing moments of fasting, He would like us to eat less so we have food to share with the hungry, etc. We are to practice moments of self-sacrifice so that we might be able to serve others who are needy. Most of us have more food than we need and more clothes than we need. God is telling us here in Isaiah 58 that He desires us to perform a certain amount of self-sacrifice if we are able to help others in need. And in Isaiah chapter 58, God addresses it clearly as a function of the type of fasting He desires His people to do. He is looking for a pure heart for the things of God.
Before leaving this topic of fasting, I think it important that we mention that fasting can involve things other than food. If you are one whose spiritual life is often distracted due to other things besides food, you may want to consider fasting from some other things. Fasting helps us to eliminate distractions and focus on God, and if there are things distracting you from God, things that may not necessarily be food, you may need to think about a non-food fast. Many folks’ spiritual lives have benefitted by taking a break from video games, television, news reports, etc., for a short period that they might focus their attention back on God and prayer.
Responding to God: Praise God for all the good gifts He gives us. Thank Him for meeting all of your needs. Ask Him for His leadership in the area of fasting and what He would have you to do. Seek His guidance on areas He would have you give to others from your excess.
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