Fasting's Purpose

"Announce a time of fasting; call the people together for a solemn meeting. Bring the leaders and all the people into the Temple of the Lord your God, and cry out to him there." Joel 1:14

Many people fast, but I often wonder if we've lost the purpose of fasting as God designed it. I hear people talking about fasting and how 'they are giving something up'. It's as though they are to be honored for their sacrifice; It's as if God is expected to take note of how much is being sacrificed and respond to them because of it. But fasting isn't about us. And, it isn't about us getting God's attention. It's the total opposite. Fasting is about God getting our attention.

Throughout the Bible people fasted. Kings fasted. Queen Esther fasted. Entire groups of people fasted. Why? Because they wanted to know what God had to say about a situation. They wanted his blessing on their lives and knew that to receive his blessing they had to act according to his will. Fasting is a sacrifice of something, often food, that is replaced with quiet time and devotion to God. Fasting is a time of refocus and drawing near to the heart of God. 

Are you needing direction? Do you need God's word spoken afresh to your heart? Then maybe it's time to call for a fast. Give up TV time, skip lunch, or maybe forgo the early morning trip to Starbucks. But just sacrificing isn't enough- replace the activity with time in your Bible and in prayer. Write out your scriptures. Sit without letting your mind wander and make note of the gentle whispers that God lays on your heart. Be amazed at what you hear when you let God get your attention!