Fasting

Fasting is a well-established spiritual discipline, practiced in almost all cultures and centuries. Modeled by the Prophets, Jesus, and Paul, it is taught and encouraged in both the Old and New Testaments and throughout church history.

Biblical fasting generally means going without either food or drink (except perhaps fresh water) for a set period of time: a meal, a day, a week, or a forty-day stint (Luke 4:1-4). Medical professionals suggest that occasional fasting is actually healthy for the body unless a person has an acute or chronic illness that requires regular meals.

The Hebrew word for “fasting” actually means to “humble one’s self” or to “afflict the soul.” It involves seeking God Himself and generally includes times of confession, repentance, petition, and intercession. Such fasting can be practiced individually or corporately. Israel often sought the Lord with fasting and prayer in times of national disaster or when there was a deeply felt need for forgiveness, protection, healing, deliverance, or direction. Isaiah 58 sets God’s guidelines for seeking Him in prayer and fasting: our seeking must be sincere and accompanied by a life-style that is holy, just, and concerned for the poor. The Lord Himself says:

“Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of injustice, to undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, and bring the homeless poor into your house?”

Such fasting and prayer are a powerful form of intercession as we ask God to destroy strongholds of evil in our world, call servants into His mission, bring men and women and children to Christ in areas where He has not been known, and bring revival to His Church.

We invite you to participate in such a fast at Urbana 03. We will identify with the poor in their hunger by abstaining from food and drink (except water) for one lunch period. The money saved will be invested in purchasing food for the hungry, while the time saved will be invested in seeking God and interceding for others. This prayer and fasting time will be held in the assembly hall on Tuesday, December 30th, just after the morning general session. As contemporary theologian R.T. Forster notes in the New Dictionary of Christian Ethics & Pastoral Theology, “fasts…hunger lunches, and abstention from food to identify with the poor and raise [funds] for relief are clearly Christ-like,” and as Isaiah notes, such fasts deeply please the heart of God.

Some Health Tips to Consider when Fasting:

• Fasting is a spiritual discipline, and as such, should be an individual decision, not something done out of a sense of obligation or in response to peer pressure.
• From a health perspective, limited fasting is not physically harmful unless regular meals are required for diabetes, hypoglycemia, or other similar medical conditions.
• Drinking water is always important, but especially so at Urbana and during and after fasting.
• If you are unaccustomed to fasting, eating breakfast the morning of the fast could be helpful.

If you have any further health related questions about fasting, please consult your physician.

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