Fast Encouragement
I wanted to share a timely and profound word of encouragement for us from Caleb Hawkins:
We are five days into fasting and prayer. Why go another day? It’s been long enough. The news we don’t know is piling up, and television season finales are passing by. Our bodies are pretty weak, our spirits a little drained, and prayers are becoming repetitive. We want real food instead of rabbit food; we want steaks instead of smoothies. The flesh has been perturbed enough to launch all of its artillery against us.
We are in a worldly advent longing for the comfort of carbs, the mindlessness of TV, and the undisturbed rhythms of our lives. Let’s discern our state: it’s almost as if we long for food like Israel longed for the Messiah. How backwards of us! In our physical promised land of middle class America it seems we have forgotten we are pilgrims. This current place is not our home. We are citizens of a heavenly country. Our fasting is an embracing of that citizenship. God is our governor. Jesus Christ is our prophet, priest, and king. He’s our daily bread. In His presence is fullness of joy, and at his right hand are pleasures forevermore (Psalm 16:11).
Friends, fasting is not “getting more of God.” It’s God getting more of us. Unfogging ourselves through fasting to see the sufficiency of God and His gospel more clearly is a worthy pursuit. Forsake the physical things of the world just a little longer in order to enjoy the spiritual feast of Christ.
Here’s the promise: one day we will have both physical and spiritual satisfaction. A new body will be resurrected to fit our new spirit. We will physically eat at the Lord’s table. This current fleshly comfortability will seem like peasantry. Our whole being will be satisfied. Satisfied by what? The Triune God Himself.
John prophecies, “And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying,‘Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God” (Revelation 21:3). Our future is physical satisfaction and unending spiritual pleasure in Christ. With the eternal perspective in mind, put off the things that are fleeting, and pursue the things of God because in 1,000 years our fast will be our feast.
We are five days into fasting and prayer. Why go another day? It’s been long enough. The news we don’t know is piling up, and television season finales are passing by. Our bodies are pretty weak, our spirits a little drained, and prayers are becoming repetitive. We want real food instead of rabbit food; we want steaks instead of smoothies. The flesh has been perturbed enough to launch all of its artillery against us.
We are in a worldly advent longing for the comfort of carbs, the mindlessness of TV, and the undisturbed rhythms of our lives. Let’s discern our state: it’s almost as if we long for food like Israel longed for the Messiah. How backwards of us! In our physical promised land of middle class America it seems we have forgotten we are pilgrims. This current place is not our home. We are citizens of a heavenly country. Our fasting is an embracing of that citizenship. God is our governor. Jesus Christ is our prophet, priest, and king. He’s our daily bread. In His presence is fullness of joy, and at his right hand are pleasures forevermore (Psalm 16:11).
Friends, fasting is not “getting more of God.” It’s God getting more of us. Unfogging ourselves through fasting to see the sufficiency of God and His gospel more clearly is a worthy pursuit. Forsake the physical things of the world just a little longer in order to enjoy the spiritual feast of Christ.
Here’s the promise: one day we will have both physical and spiritual satisfaction. A new body will be resurrected to fit our new spirit. We will physically eat at the Lord’s table. This current fleshly comfortability will seem like peasantry. Our whole being will be satisfied. Satisfied by what? The Triune God Himself.
John prophecies, “And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying,‘Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God” (Revelation 21:3). Our future is physical satisfaction and unending spiritual pleasure in Christ. With the eternal perspective in mind, put off the things that are fleeting, and pursue the things of God because in 1,000 years our fast will be our feast.
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Awakened Again by Martin Luther\'s Gospel AwakeningPrejudice Against HolinessPreparing for Next Week's FastLocations for Evening PrayerPrayer Focus for Fast - Day 1Prayer Focus for Fast - Day 3Prayer Focus for Fast - Day 2Prayer Focus for Fast - Day 5Prayer Focus for Fast - Day 4Prayer Focus for Fast - Day 6Fast EncouragementNo Secret Agents
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