Whenever you fast

 The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them,

And then they will fast on that day. Mark 2:20

 

Read Matthew 6:16—21

This could be a journey ahead for me, the question of fasting. Jesus sets the spirit of it. It is to be something between God and my spirit. There will be a certain forgetfulness of myself. Every appetite will not be a trigger for me to respond. I will not follow someone else’s prescription (though I will not rule out spiritual direction). I think God may want me to set aside deliberate time to attend to him, to walk the journey with Jesus. I need Jesus to work on my life issues. I need to let him deal with me in a focused way. I need to bring to him any heaviness on my heart. And for this I can consider the value of times of fasting.

 

My Father, I thank you for those who have waited upon you, who have prayed and fasted, who have wanted Godliness, and have set aside their normal meals to be deliberate about this, to listen to you. David,[1] Ezra,[2] Nehemiah,[3] more and still more Jews in Persia,[4] and the Son of God himself,[5] all pressed by hard testing. I thank you for the mission that arose when the church at Antioch prayed and fasted, and the Gospel went forth.[6] From this you have brought great blessing. Could you have in mind blessing for me? Could you align my will with yours? Would it be right that I, too, should fast? Fast and pray? Lead me by your Spirit as I seek to order my life and times and relationships in this Lenten season.

[1] 2 Samuel 12:21

[2] Ezra 8:21

[3] Nehemiah 1:4

[4] Esther 4:16

[5] Matthew 4:16

[6] Acts 13:2—3