Text: Matthew 6:16-18, Hosea 6:6, 1 Samuel 16:7
“For I desire loyalty and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.”
-Hosea 6:6
Here’s the thing I’ve learned about fasting: it’s really only ever for one thing.
Fasting is for God’s glory.
It is for our drawing near to Him, yes.
It is for mourning our sin, yes.
It is for interceding and returning and repenting. All of those things.
But all those things are for His glory.
We can fast from food while feasting on our own pride. We can withhold indulgences while noting them as accomplishments. It may not be easy to fast, but it is quite easy to make our fasting about us, isn’t it?
We don’t set out for it to be this way, but we are sinners and thoughts of self come so naturally. Even our most selfless deeds—our efforts to deny ourselves and take up our cross—require God’s grace.
Jesus tells us in Matthew, “Whenever you fast, don’t be sad-faced . . . put oil on your head and wash your face, so that you don’t show your fasting to people but to your Father” (Matthew 6:16). And in 1 Corinthians, Paul tells us, “Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for God’s glory” (1 Corinthians 10:31).
Before knowing ourselves or training behaviors or even petitioning Him—the first reason we fast is to give glory to our Maker. It’s why we’re here. It’s why we have breath in our lungs. It’s what is asked of us in anything that we do.
“You do not want a sacrifice, or I would give it;
You are not pleased with a burnt offering.
The sacrifice pleasing to God is a broken spirit.
God, You will not despise a broken and humbled heart.”
-Psalm 51:16-17
He who knit us together, sees and searches and knows every beat of our hearts (Psalm 139:1-2, 23; 1 Samuel 16:7). Imagine Him, our Creator and Father, being presented with gifts from our heart to His, knowing full well they were never really intended for Him. Our sacrifices are empty apart from our God. They are utterly meaningless outside of communing with Him.
And so, we fast to know Him. Because that gives Him glory.
We fast to become like Christ. Because this glorifies the Father.
We fast—whatever it is we’re fasting from—because He is God and we are not.
We fast for Him.
Tomorrow we will read accounts from God’s Word about fasting as intercession, and on Friday, Scripture will help us understand fasting as humility. But today, let’s hold the mystery of biblical fasting in front of us and understand it simply as a means and opportunity to bring glory and honor to the One who desires, deserves, and demands our worship.
Whatever we eat or drink, whatever we don’t eat or don’t drink—whatever we do—let’s do it all for the glory of our God. Because our fasting and feasting, our prayer and confession, our meditation and our study—it’s all about so much more than us. It is about His Kingdom. It is about Him.
“I do not know You God because I am in the way.
Please help me to push myself aside.”
-Flannery O’Connor, A Prayer Journal
I love this reminder! It’s not about us at all, but about HIM! It always goes back to HIM!
http://www.in-due-time.com
This really spoke to me. I feel that a lot of the time, I demonstrate my love for God for my own sake and my own reputation, and can sometimes forget who it’s all for. It’s not for me. It’s for God. Thank you for sharing this post with us.
Thanks for joining us today, Sydney! Grateful for your heart!
xoxo-Kaitlin
Today’s reading really shifted my thoughts. I’ve been fasting because of what it does for me, not for God. I have been so focused on showing and sharing my sacrifice, rather than drawing closer to God in my heart. I have been humbled by this today. I even struggled yesterday with my fasting and feeling like I was going to allow myself to “cheat”. But, realizing that this fasting is for Him and not for me, knowing that this is about my relationship with Him, how can I belittle or undermine that? How can I tell myself it’s ok to “cheat”? I can’t. Thank you, God, for making yesterday hard so that my heart might be open to these words today.
I have fasted in the past and only lasts for a few days because I feel something is missing. This study today shows me what it is: making it about God’s glory and not about the means to an end. I love the words from Flannery O’Connor: “I do not know You God because I am in the way. Please help me to push myself aside.” It really speaks to core of what fasting should be. Not about us but about God.
I’ve prayed the same prayer this morning, Maria. Amen!! May all that we do, especially in our fasting be done in secret, for your kingdom glory, father.
This January I participated in my church’s annual fast. The previous years I did so, I kept quiet about it and hardly anyone knew I was on a vegan fast for 3 weeks. I was forced to lean on god for support when it was hard and to spend time with him.This year, however, I decided to tell others about it and my experience was radically different. It changed my focus from relying on and pleasing Him to what others thought about me and how changing my eating habits isolated me from others. This naturally affected my prayer life. While I believe God still honored my sacrifice and appreciated the time I did focus on Him, I left the fast feeling as if He wanted so much more of me from that time. I let others and myself get in the way of a time that should have been solely about God. If nothing else, this years fast adjusted my focus on the true purpose of fasting.
“I do not know You God because I am in the way. Please help me to push myself aside.” This quote by Flannery O’Connor struck a cord with me! How often do I get in the way, thinking that I am doing something well, but my worship gets distorted due to my own trying to bring something to the table. The verses from Psalm 51 that we have been focusing on lately have been sticking in my heart….all the Lord requires of me is a humble heart that is dependent on Him…not anything that I can bring. I find I try to bring my own sacrifices to the table, when the sacrifice that matters, that counts…has already been done! Wow! When we understand this and really live it, it is sooo freeing!
Me too! I loved that little prayer. Definitely jotting it down to jeep with me…
**keep!
I love Flannery’s words too, Esther! Thanks for sharing encouragement today, friend!
xoxo-Kaitlin
I love the Flannery O’Connor quote….such a good reminder!
Me too! It really goes to the core of the matter.
I am having a rough time staying focused and need some input on fasting. I still don’t fully understand. Do you fast by giving something up and when you want to eat that specific food or drink or whatever it may be (which, how do you choose?) do you stop and talk to God about that struggle and how you can’t do it alone? But doesn’t that still make it about you? I know these are silly questions but I’ve just never really been able to grasp the idea of fasting.
I don’t think those are silly questions at all! I always saw it as when I’m fasting from something, every time I have the urge to eat it or do it, it reminds me of *why* I am fasting. It’s kind of like a physical reminder of Christ’s sacrifice for me. Like my little tiny sacrifice here on earth, every time it brings me discomfort because I can’t have what I want, helps me to remember Christ’s sacrifice – which was so much bigger. That’s kind of how I always saw it. You have to choose to make it about Him.
Hi Julie… it’s not a silly question at all. For me, fasting was recognizing the amount of time and enjoyment I was pouring into, in my case, Pinterest, and putting it aside to take that time to draw near to God, to spend the time falling more in love with Him, and to ask the Holy Spirit to make this time with Him more precious than time spent anywhere else… to help me love Him most.
thank you ladies for your insight! it has helped clear things up a bit!
Hey Julie, this is a really good message on fasting that might answer the questions you have. It really helped me – https://www.churchofthehighlands.com/media/message/prayer-and-fasting1