Author: Lisa Groen
Category: Sermon review
“Let fasting be a declaration and demonstration of your hunger for God –a type of worship, that seeks nearness to, and fellowship with God Himself”—my paraphrase of the audio message “Fasting For the King’s Coming”, https://www.desiringgod.org/messages/fasting-for-the-kings-coming sermon by John Piper.
I can honestly say, I have looked for scriptures commanding New Testament Christians to fast, looking to give my devotionals more authority, bite, and chutz·pah, but interestingly, the Lord leaves this to us as much more of a choice, and unspoken strong admonition for certain desired outcomes. Interestingly, the closest thing to a command to fast is in Mathew 9:15 (also in Luke 5:35) where we see something that seems like a command, but with a closer look at the text, we find it is not a command to fast–“In those days they WILL fast”. The sentence structure of a command we find in the ten commandments—“Thou SHALL have no other Gods before ME…Thou SHALL not steal…” So why is “They WILL fast” different and not a command? “You WILL do something” and you “SHALL do something” are VERY close according to Wikipedia, the etymology of the words “will” and “shall” BOTH are from similar root words and meanings, “representing either simple futurity, (future event) or necessity or obligation.” For the future event to happen, those desiring the future event must necessarily do or be obligated to do thus and so. So, although the Bible doesn’t say we MUST fast, it is understood that to obtain some desired “state”, the answer is to fast! In Matthew 9:15 we find ourselves looking at Jesus giving a prophecy about a “solution” for the attendants of the bridegroom to bring them near to Jesus, in the absence of Jesus, springing from the catalyst of the absence of Jesus, which reads, “And Jesus said to them, “The attendants of the bridegroom cannot mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them, can they? But the days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.”
Jesus was speaking of their future demonstration of the New Testament believer’s longing for the Lord’s presence and His Kingdom, which has the implied meaning that they will have success in coming near to God by this means…(paraphrased Richard Foster’s “The Celebration of Discipline”) But today –do we hear much of this in our churches?
John Piper in his book “A Hunger for God: Desiring God through Fasting and Prayer” asks the probing question, “When Christians meet, they talk to each other about their Christian interests, their Christian acquaintances, the state of the churches, and the problems of theology-but rarely of their daily experience of God. …much about Christian doctrine, Christian standards, problems of Christian conduct, techniques of Christian service— but little about the inner realities of fellowship with God. …Where are the passionate conversations today about communing with God through fasting and prayer? We seem to find it easier to talk much of plans and principles for proclaiming the gospel and planting churches, and to talk little of the power of God that is necessary for this gospel to be proclaimed and the church to be planted.” (John Piper. A Hunger for God: Desiring God through Fasting and Prayer (Foreword, pages 1-2, Kindle Locations 98-107). Crossway.)
Again, it is strongly implied in Piper’s work that communing or drawing near to God is a truly viable outcome from fasting.
I will conclude this devotional today with what Piper says so well on his website page’s introduction to download his free book “A Hunger for God: Desiring God through Fasting and Prayer” (retrieved from https://www.desiringgod.org/books/a-hunger-for-god” on January 13, 2022).
He writes
“There is an appetite for God. And it can be awakened. I invite you to turn from the dulling effects of food and the dangers of idolatry, and to say with some simple fast: “This much, O God, I want you.”
Our appetites dictate the direction of our lives — whether it be the cravings of our stomachs, the passionate desire for possessions or power, or the longings of our spirits for God. But for the Christian, the hunger for anything besides God can be an arch-enemy. While our hunger for God — and him alone — is the only thing that will bring victory.
Do you have that hunger for him? As John Piper puts it, “If we don’t feel strong desires for the manifestation of the glory of God, it is not because you have drunk deeply and are satisfied. It is because we have nibbled so long at the table of the world. Our soul is stuffed with small things, and there is no room for the great.” If we are full of what the world offers, then perhaps a fast might express, or even increase, our soul’s appetite for God.”
Amen!
Prayer: Oh Lord, how much a God of grace you reveal you are toward us, in the way you can and do accomplish your purposes for the kingdom without rigidly commanding us that we fast and devote ourselves in self-inflicted discomfort to seek you wholeheartedly. Yet, ironically those sacrifices when engaged in are not bad things for us!—they are even good for us!! Yet, your grace of these unmerited realities of your presence without our “works” and your faithfulness when we are weak are the very things that melt us and call us to draw near to you, get rid of our hesitation to come to you, enable us with more firmness of resolve, with more strength of action, to find your grace to seek you and to fast! Your Sovereign grace shows itself to operate perfectly without your “anchor” (if you had an anchor) being in us– such creatures of fickleness, but anchored in your own unchanging nature, and goodness and kindness! And we can see these Sovereign graces of yours that are truly illuminated by your supreme transcendent “better than we can imagine” approach to us, are enabling us to flourish in our lives through your Spirit!
May we keep in mind your grace as we approach you in prayer, and if led to do so in our fasting, and may our minds be focused on your supreme kindnesses in drawing near to us, in our broken states, even as we look to you, to seek you, and adore you Lord. May our minds truly be renewed in your Spirit oh Lord, and establish us as we commune with you, Lord, and make us all you want us to be in you, to the praise and glory of your Name Oh, Lord, and forever! Amen!
Keep growing in the Word! LG
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