Although the better question might be “Who fuels the fast?” not what. Either way, this organized period of prayer and fasting that my church has been observing is drawing to a close officially tomorrow. Tomorrow is day twenty -one. Then what? Do I and others who have been doing this return to gluttony? (assuming gluttony is the opposite of fasting) Is fasting considered only a temporary fix? And just what is it that is supposed to be “getting fixed” by the fast in the first place?

I think the idea of the fast in general was that it would make room for something much better in each of our lives, if we accepted the challenge of fasting from something. The choices are many although the most common choice seems to be fasting from food or from certain types of food, such as sweets. Many I know were fasting from particular foods or from favorite soft drinks or from sugar or from caffeine. Jesus set the standard pretty high when He went into the desert for forty days and forty nights and fasted.

BUT – Jesus didn’t just not eat. He did something. He prayed. It wasn’t about what He wasn’t doing so much as it was about what He was doing. Praying! That’s what sustained Jesus during His time in the desert – prayer. That’s what fueled His fast – prayer. We read in Matthew 4:4 –

“Jesus answered, ‘It is written: Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ” (Matthew 4:4)

Jesus was spending His fasting time with God, being sustained by God’s living word. Maybe that’s why my church’s guide is titled “Prayer and Fasting”? Prayer is time I spend with God. Prayer is what fuels my fast. God is Who fuels my fast. God’s Living Word is the food that gives me life. Moses reminded the Israelites of this when he told them –

“Take to heart all the words I have solemnly declared to you this day, so that you may command your children to obey carefully all the words of this law. They are not just idle words for you – they are your life. By them you will live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to possess.” (Deuteronomy 32:46-47)

Jesus said something to His disciples that shows me another way I can both fuel and fill my fast. Jesus’s disciples were concerned about Him not eating, and this is the conversation that ensued –

“Meanwhile His disciples urged Him, ‘Rabbi, eat something.’ . . . ‘My food,’ said Jesus, ‘is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to finish His work.’ ” (John 4:31 & 34)

So following Jesus’s example, I want my food also to be doing God’s will – going where God leads me, doing whatever He asks me to do, serving those He asks me to serve – this is how I fill the spaces fasting leaves empty. Make no mistake. Something has to go. That’s a part of fasting – letting something go in order to make room for something better, something more necessary, something essential. This will be costly. But it should be costly. King David said this when Araunah offered to give David for free all that King David needed to make an offering to God –

“But the king replied to Araunah, ‘No, I insist on paying you for it. I will not sacrifice to the Lord my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.’ ” (2 Samuel 24:24)

Fasting is costly. Whether that cost is in calories or in time – fasting comes with a cost. Whether I’m giving up a food group or an activity from my daily schedule – if it is costly, it will leave a space. Reminds me of the words to the Christmas carol – “let every heart prepare Him room.” Preparing room or making room means letting go of some things, perhaps many things, in order to make room for something or for someone truly essential to enter in and to fill that newly vacated space in my life. That’s fasting’s purpose – to help me make room for God. When I invite Him in, I want to have a place in my heart and in my life already prepared to receive Him.

“Lift up your heads, O you gates; be lifted up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O you gates; lift them up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. Who is He, this King of glory? The Lord Almighty – He is the King of glory.” (Psalm 24:7-10)

My Heavenly Father wants to come into this mess I call my life and stay with me through it all. Why would I not invite Him in? He is ready and willing to fill my empty life with the fullness of His abiding Presence.

“Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with Me.” (Revelation 3:20)

“Jesus replied, ‘If anyone loves Me, he will obey My teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.’ ” (John 14:23)

lift up the gates! throw open the doors! let the King of glory make His home with you and with me!

sincerely, Grace Day

My church is getting ready to do twenty-one days of prayer and fasting. Most people think of giving up food when they think of fasting. And that is typical. But there are other things that one can give up such as screen time, (tv or computer) phone time, social media time etc. Most of us do spend an inordinate amount of time on our phones. So if we put our phones down – what would we do? What would we put in the space where our phones have been? How about conversation with an actual human being who is physically present with us? Do we remember how to do that?

As I look out over the high school classroom I am in today, most every student has phone in hand and eyes glued to their phone. No one is reading a book, no one is writing anything on paper or on a computer, even though they each have a Chromebook through the school. (Except for myself, I am writing this, so it does involve screen time for me, but I am not consuming social media content or scrolling randomly – I am writing this)

As I contemplate what I will “fast” from or in other words, what I will give up, it occurs to me that perhaps I should be giving at least equal thought to what it is that I will put in the place of what I give up or eliminate from my diet or from my daily schedule. This could potentially be more impactful than what I give up. After all, if I give up cookies but fill the void that leaves with ice cream, pie, pastries and candy, does this provide me any benefit? (I think the idea is not just to give something up, such as twinkies and Cheetos, but to then replace said food items or whatever it is that I give up, with a better option – say broccoli and asparagus?) This cautionary tale from Matthew comes to mind as I consider fasting and filling – what will I put in the space fasting leaves empty in my stomach, in my daily schedule, or in my life?

“When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that man is worse than the first. That is how it will be with this wicked generation.” (Matthew 12:43-45)

These words remind me that when I fast from something or eliminate something from my life – I had better be intentional about what I choose to fill that now empty space – because the void created by fasting will not remain empty. Something will fill my stomach or my time or my mind or my heart. If I don’t intentionally choose what that will be, lesser things will gain access and occupy the spaces in my heart, in my mind, in my daily routine and in my life – spaces that were meant all along for my Creator to fill as His abiding place. After all, I read in Ephesians –

“And God placed all things under His (Jesus’s) feet and appointed Him to be head over everything for the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills everything in every way.” (Ephesians 1:22-23)

My Heavenly Father wants to fill all the empty spaces in my mind, my heart, my daily routine, and in my life. However, too often I let other things fill those spaces and crowd Him out. Why would I let fear, anxiety, strife, (mind) anger, hate, unforgiveness (heart) phone scrolling, computer time, social media (daily routine) and lack of identity and purpose when I live for myself (creates those empty spaces in my life – creates an empty life actually) – why would I allow these things to fill my life, leaving no room for the presence of God’s gift – His Holy Spirit? I want to make room for this gift God promised to me and to you and to each one of us who will make room for Him. Jesus told His disciples this –

“I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Before long, the world will not see Me anymore, but you will see Me. Because I live, you also will live. On that day you will realize that I am in My Father, and you are in Me, and I am in you.” (John 14:18-20)

maybe fasting is supposed to be about making room for the filling of God in me and in all the newly cleaned out spaces of my life?

maybe fasting without the filling of God’s presence is futile?

today I will start the filling by following these instructions –

“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! . . . whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things.” (Philippians 4:4 & 8)

“Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.” (Colossians 3:1-2)

let the fasting begin so that the filling may follow! I will use these instructions from Hebrews as my guide while I embark upon this journey of fasting, following and filling –

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider Him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” (Hebrews 12:1-3)

“throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles” – that’s what fasting is asking me to do – eliminate what’s holding me hostage and make room for the freedom of God’s filling – I’ll keep you “posted” on my progress during this fasting and prayer journey (pun intended)

sincerely, Grace Day