Is such the fast that I choose, a day for a person to humble himself? Is it to bow down his head like a reed, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him?
Will you call this a fast, and a day acceptable to the Lord?
-Isaiah 58:5 (ESV)
Fasting, the act of willingly abstaining from food for a period of time, is largely misunderstood in the modern church. It is seen as something other people do, as an act pious monks cloistered away practice. But Jesus gives his followers very direct instructions, “when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites” (Matthew 6:16). He says WHEN you fast, it’s not a question of if. Fasting is meant to be a part of the Christian life as a means to humble oneself before the Lord in the midst of a culture that views food through excess, luxury, and addiction. Fasting invites the Holy Spirit to quicken God’s word, enrich prayer, and reveal one’s spiritual condition. In short, fasting is a powerful tool in a Christian’s daily life.
