March
Take My Yoke Upon You: FASTING
It’s been traditional during Lent for Christians to consider taking up a spiritual discipline for the 40 days of this season. Most often these have been disciplines of abstinence!
Giving something up might also be referred to as fasting.
While fasting holds a much more significant role as a spiritual practice than just something we turn to for Lent, it is perhaps a good season to start.
The essence of fasting is the separation of ourselves from something in order to offer ourselves in greater measure to God. While on some occasions what we fast from may be something which is detrimental to our life or our relationship with God, generally the point of fasting is to separate ourselves from something that is normally a good and proper part of human life.
Fasting is something which the evangelical church has been suspicious of in recent centuries with confusion about association with trying to earn merit with God, or even as a penance. When Richard Foster first published ‘Celebration of Discipline’ in 1978, he states that he could not find a single book published on the subject of fasting from 1861 to 1954. Yet if we go back a little further, we discover that throughout his ministry, John Wesley fasted on Fridays and, for a long period, both Wednesdays and Fridays. He also encouraged the early Methodists to fast. Of course, the Gospels record Jesus teaching on fasting in such a way that it seems that he assumes it was being routinely practiced. (Matt. 6:16-18)
Dallas Willard writes:
“Fasting confirms our utter dependence upon God by finding in him a source of sustenance beyond food. Through it, we learn by experience that God’s word to us is a life substance, that it is not food (“bread”) alone that gives life, but also the words that proceed from the mouth of God (Matt. 4:4).”
In Matthew 9 :15 we read: “Then John’s disciples came and asked him, “How is it that we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples do not fast?” Jesus answered, “How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while he is with them? The time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast.”
As we live in this period when Jesus is no longer physically present with his followers on earth, perhaps the physical longing that we feel in our bodies while fasting, helps give focus to a deeper longing we feel in our souls to be with him. As we fast, the pangs of hunger we may feel can drive us back to recognise our hunger for God.
Fasting can help wean us from our dependence on God’s gifts and enable us to become dependent on God alone. We constantly succumb to the temptation to become dependent on the gifts God gives to meet life’s needs. Whenever making use of something God has given for our sustenance and well-being morphs into a destructive bondage of dependence (an idol) fasting can help in breaking that.
Fasting also helps us to recognise that we do not immediately have to gratify the desires of our appetites. It helps us to see that it is possible to say, “No!” to our appetites and survive and perhaps even to thrive. It helps bring freedom from the enslavement of our appetites.
Throughout the 40 days of Lent we are asking our Connexion to fervently SEEK God in prayer.
On Friday 1st March we are calling everyone to a Day of Fasting and Prayer. We are encouraging you to follow the Wesleyan model, beginning your fast at sundown on Thursday and fasting through to 3:00pm on Friday. Prayerfully consider what ‘appetite’ you want to lay down during this time. You may feel led to continue this as a weekly practice beyond the 1st March.
Further resources for this season of prayer and day of fasting are available below.
A prayer for MARCH:
Father, and giver of every perfect gift, as I consider a period of fasting, help me to discern what to fast from which will best enable this to be a time of growth, renewal and healing. One of your fruit, Holy Spirit, is self-control; may you produce that in me, together with patience and peace. Strengthen me in the times when my fast is most difficult. Jesus, meet me for moments of sweet surrender to your good purposes for my life, and lead my soul to feast on every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. As others fast alongside me, together may we have a greater awareness of true wisdom that comes from you. Amen.
ARTICLES, VIDEO, PODCASTS & MORE
Articles
Jamie Cain – https://conversatio.org/the-rhythms-of-fasting-and-feasting-part-1/
Richard Foster – https://renovare.org/articles/the-purpose-of-fasting
Adele Calhoun - https://renovare.org/articles/fasting-a-practical-guide
Methodist Prayer – https://methodistprayer.org/wesleyfast
John Wesley – ‘When you fast’ https://tebeth.wordpress.com/2020/10/10/john-wesleys-famous-sermon-on-fasting/
Video
Dallas Willard – https://conversatio.org/fasting-3/
John Ortberg – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfh3dp0FtCU
Podcast & audio
Dallas Willard – https://conversatio.org/the-disciplines-of-abstinence-fasting/
Nate Foster - https://renovare.org/podcast/fif-spiritual-formation-fasting-ill-will
Courses on Spiritual Practices
Practicing the Way: A series of free personal and small group resources based around 9 core spiritual practices. These are being released one by one and currently (at Feb 2024) there are resources for 4 practices available: Sabbath; Prayer; Fasting & Solitude.
All resources can be found here: https://www.practicingtheway.org/
Holy Habits: Small group resources which have been developed based on Andrew Roberts book ‘Holy Habits’. These focus on 10 core spiritual practices or ‘habits’.
https://www.holyhabits.org.uk/
Inside Out: A free small group course from Renovare for discovering a deeper, more transformative life with God
BOOKS
Celebration of Discipline – Richard Foster (304 pages) (Chap 4) ISBN: 978-0340979266
Fasting: The Ancient Practices – Scot McKnight (208 pages) ISBN: 978-0849946059
God’s Chosen Fast – Arthur Wallis (154 pages) ISBN: 978-0875085548
The Spirit of the Disciplines – Dallas Willard (276 pages) (Chap 9) ISBN: 978-0060694425
Holy Habits – Andrew Roberts (247 pages) (Chap 14) ISBN: 978-1910786154
Habits of Grace – David Mathis (238 pages) (Chap 10) ISBN: 978-1783594177