Dear friends,
Starting tomorrow (March 22, 2020) I am going to begin a fast. I encourage you to join with me. Please understand my heart. This is in no way to lift myself up. It is to reach out to God for His help. Over ¼ of a million people have tested and confirmed that they have contracted this disease. Massive effort including statewide (and in some cases countrywide) lockdowns. These are human efforts. But the solution is found in God. Tony Evans said, “One of the ways God speaks is through allowing circumstances into our lives and into our world that are not pleasant. He allows those circumstances to get our undivided attention. It is a wake-up call.” I am not saying God is doing this to us. I am saying God is allowing us to see what we can and can’t do on our own. There are some times when we think we are secure and doing well, that we realize we are really powerless. (Rev. 3:17) Ask God and see if this is something He would have you engage in.
Fasting should always begin with a time of soul searching and humility. “Lord, where have I fallen short of your expectations for me?” The memory verse from our last series at church was Psalm 139: 23-24. Summed up these verses break down into 5 simple statements. Search me. Test me. Know me. Point out anything in me what offends you. Lead me in Your way.
Repentance and God’s forgiveness are the starting points to spiritual breakthrough and spiritual victory. A fast is not an attempt to get God’s attention; it is not to manipulate God. It is a willful choice to put away distractions, surrender and align yourself with God. In so doing, you place yourself directly in God’s path for assistance and help. Isaiah 58 is a short 14 verses, if you are interested in reading more about what God’s expectations of fasting are. The context is this: Israel had been fasting and following the religious guidelines and expected God to bless them. But their heart was far from God. They were interested in God working for them. They wanted God to be their genie and do what they wanted if they followed certain rituals. Their attitudes and actions were not pleasing to God, so He saw no reason to respond to them. They allowed their irritability to make them snap and fight. They had no consideration for other, they were consumed with thoughts of self. This is not what pleases God and no amount of food abstention will get him to respond.
If you do intend to participate, there is some preparation involved depending on the length of your fast. There are considerations. For example, if you have medicines you are required to take for life-saving health reasons, you may need to fast only one or two meals a day so you can take some medicines with food. If you choose to do so, eat enough, but sparingly, not gorging yourselves because you are so hungry. If you are extending your fast beyond a week, it is wise to have some leafy vegetables as one of the last meal or two to help clean out your system. And do drink plenty of water. There are many suggestions depending on the variations of your fast. If you need more input on this, please email me (david@hoopestonchurch.org) and I will respond accordingly.
I often recommend having a specific length of time you plan to fast. If you have never fasted before, I do not recommend going beyond a 3 day fast. You may only want to do one day and then do another day later. (You don’t run a marathon without practicing shorter runs many times previously.) The early church fasted two days a week to help them have resources to care for the poor. Remember, the extremity of your fast is not what gets God’s attention. It is your heart of surrender and your desperation for Him.
A fast is to focus on God rather than other seemingly normal activities. Some people may not be able to avoid eating. If this is the case, you can curb other in-takes to invest your time in reading His word, seeking Him, praying and worshiping. Allow God access deeper and rely on His strength for this period.
If you are unable to abstain from food, you could, for example, turn off the TV or to keep informed only watch the news for a 30-minute period. I heard this week that the average American spends 10 hours a day on their phone or internet! You can limit that significantly, so even keeping track of what is happening around you (if your state of lock-down like ours is), you can invest intentionally on God. You can avoid other shows you like to watch. You may limit social media or other pleasurable pursuits/hobbies in order to spend more time seeking God. ALWAYS, what you focus on is what seems most important. If you are focused on COVID-19, it may seem overwhelming. Let me remind you, we serve a mighty God. He does miracles, parts huge waters, stops the sun from moving, can heal every sickness and disease imaginable. This is not a crisis for God. He is in charge and always has been.
I encourage you to seek the Lord. Allow this time to be a time of drawing near to Him. Here is a video with the words, if you are unfamiliar with the song. Listen, take in the content, sing, worship. Walk with God.
Pastor David Bowen
