“Fasting
confirms our utter dependence upon God by finding in Him a source of
sustenance beyond food.” Dallas Willard, The
Spirit of the Disciplines
Many
of the spiritual disciplines I practice today, I learned as a child.
For example, every year during the 40 days before Easter, my family
and I fasted. But as kids, we didn't call it fasting,
we called it “giving up something for Lent.” And while we may
have given up simple pleasures like candy or gum, it still afforded
us the opportunity to identify
with Jesus
and his time in the wilderness.
However,
long before Jesus entered the desert, the Lord has been teaching his
people about fasting. The people of Isaiah’s day also fasted and
anticipated God’s appropriate response to their self-denial. Yet,
the Lord seemed ambivalent and inattentive to their actions: “Why
have we fasted and you have not seen it? Why have we humbled
ourselves and you have not noticed?” Isaiah 58.3a
Contrary
to their belief, though, God had
noticed their displays, he just wasn't impressed by them: “On
the day of your fasting, you do as you please and exploit all your
workers ... your fasting ends in quarreling and strife ... is this
what you call a fast, a day acceptable to the Lord?” Isaiah
58.3b-4
Fortunately,
the Lord set his people straight about what he expected: “This is
the kind of fasting I want: Free
those who are wrongly imprisoned; lighten
the burden
of those who work for you. Let the oppressed go free, and remove
the chains
that bind people. Share
your food
with the hungry, and give
shelter
to the homeless. Give
clothes
to those who need them, and do
not hide
from relatives who need your help.” Isaiah 58.6-7
When
we humble ourselves in a fast dedicated to the Lord, we not only
recognize our utter dependence on God, it also enables us to
empathize with those who are suffering. As we do so, our softened
hearts will desire justice for the mistreated and prompt us to act on
their behalf. This idea however, is not unique to the Old Testament
but manifests itself in the life and ministry of Jesus.
After
his 40 day fast,
Jesus left the wilderness, entered the synagogue and declared, “The
Spirit of the LORD is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good
News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives
will be released,
that the blind will
see,
that the oppressed
will be set free,
and that the time of the LORD's favor has come.” Luke 4.18.19
The
older I get, the more I realize, fasting is a more profound and
complex practice than I ever imagined. Fasting opens my eyes to see
God and
the people around me from his perspective. It allows me to identify
with the suffering of Jesus and
with the marginalized. Fasting revitalizes my faith and
inspires me to connect it to my works.
Stuart and I will be “giving up something for Lent” this year and we encourage you to join us. We trust that as Jesus prepared for ministry by entering into an intense season of prayer and fasting, so likewise God will prepare us for ministry in Mexico City. Please pray that we raise the last 10% of our financial budget by Easter so that we will be sent to proclaim release to the captives of drug addiction and to set at liberty those who are oppressed by the sex trade.
Stuart and I will be “giving up something for Lent” this year and we encourage you to join us. We trust that as Jesus prepared for ministry by entering into an intense season of prayer and fasting, so likewise God will prepare us for ministry in Mexico City. Please pray that we raise the last 10% of our financial budget by Easter so that we will be sent to proclaim release to the captives of drug addiction and to set at liberty those who are oppressed by the sex trade.
Every heartfelt gift or monthly commitment (no matter the amount) brings us closer to our return to Mexico City. Thank you!
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