God created food to be relished and enjoyed, of that I have no doubt. Being the Ultimate Creative Force, there can be no mistake that He created raspberries, when grown in healthy soil conditions and proper amount of sun, harvested at the right time, to bring an amazing amount of pleasure - and sustenance - to the consumer! He gave grandmothers the awesome wisdom and creativity to bake such raspberries into pies, with delectable crusts. And Angus cattle - he created those too, with rib-steaks, perfectly marbled, built right in (sorry vegans) - to make our mouths water….. And bread, fresh out of the oven, with butter spread generously to melt in….oh boy, this is not good imagery for a time of fasting, is it?
I apologize for the temptation this may have caused you, who are journeying to focus in a deliberate manner on Our Loving Saviour.
I admit that I have much, much more learning to do in the area of fasting, and will simply share my personal thoughts at this point in my faith journey, in hopes that it will be of encouragement to some.
Fasting, to be blunt and perfectly honest, throughout my faith journey, has been a word that brings nothing to mind but thoughts of pain and anxiety. I have at different times in my life agreed to go for 24 hours or more without food, as a youth sponsor, an elder, along with my kids, for health reasons combined with faithful obedience, etc. I will admit that there has rarely been a time that I fasted that I did not end up with a raging headache, foggy mind and/or blurred vision. I have been rendered for the most part completely useless on days that I have fasted, being a business owner in the construction industry with a combination of physical/mindful workdays, and had decided to fast on days that I would not have to make many decisions nor do much physical work. It is through these experiences that I have many times given in to frustration at God - “I’ve got food all around me, why are you asking me to do this?” - but also been drawn to acute empathy for the many millions of God’s children who go with little or no proper sustenance on a daily basis. How are people supposed to learn, grow, advance, and give of themselves, when they cannot even think or see straight? When their bodies are eating themselves? I, who have absolutely no idea of what real hunger is like, cannot be productive on a day when I go without for a couple of meals, am brought to a place where I recognize that it is by true miracle that people in poverty situations find a way to rise above.
Would I say that fasting brings me closer to God in a direct fashion? I have not experienced warm fuzzies toward Him, and I would also say that I have truly failed at being able to rely on Him and effectively “power through” the pain and fogginess of a day without food. But fasting has caused me to continually recognize that I am to find ways to be increasingly generous - with thoughts, ideas, money, and time - to help end poverty, to help empower people who have been given less opportunity than I have. God hates poverty. I believe He hates physical, emotional and spiritual malnourishment. He wants us to be hungry for Him, and so while He created food for pleasure as well as sustenance, I always want to be mindful that I do not replace pleasure in Him with pleasure of mammon - of the things of this world - and so I believe it is important to live a life that continuously acknowledges and points to the source of all our sustenance and pleasure - Our Loving Father, our Saviour Jesus, and our Wisdom, Holy Spirit.
Life is full of seasons - and I have, in my mid-40s, changed careers in the last year, into the philanthropic finance space, an area I have no formal training or experience in. It is a crazy God story of obedience and faith, that has stretched me in serious fashion, and each work day leaves me mentally spent. This sacrifice of obedience has been a fast of sorts - a giving up of my previous way of thinking of finances and success. In order to continue to be effective in my new career I have decided, with prayer and much consideration, to use food simply as fuel for these 21 days, instead of fully fasting. I am choosing to eat quite clean, cut out treats and processed food completely, and My Father has given me peace and excitement about this. So this three weeks for me is food as fuel over food as comfort/pleasure. It may seem a cop-out to you, or it may serve as an answer you have been seeking God in prayer for your own journey. The beauty is God loves me no more or no less for what I am doing about this, but I am convinced that this three weeks has already and will continue to draw me closer to Him.
John 4 (NLT):
Jesus replied, “If you only knew the gift God has for you and who you are speaking to, you would ask me, and I would give you living water.”
“But sir, you don’t have a rope or a bucket,” she said, “and this well is very deep. Where would you get this living water? And besides, do you think you’re greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us this well? How can you offer better water than he and his sons and his animals enjoyed?”
Jesus replied, “Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again. But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.”
Blessings on you as you prayerfully seek God in this time.
Dan Kyte
Relate Valley Dream Team
TODAY’S PRAYER:
DAY 8 - JANUARY 13
Pray for: God’s Presence
Psalm 84
Pray that God gives everyone at Relate Church a deep and sincere desire for relationship with God. Pray that we’d all pursue the presence and power of God and that this longing is met with the manifest presence of God in our solitude, in our homes, and in our gatherings. Pray for the renewal and change that comes as a result of encounters with God.
