Do you ever wonder why God does not answer your prayers? Do you blame God or assume that he must be ignoring you? God always hears our prayers. God can certainly answer our prayers.
“Behold, the Lord’s arm is not shortened, that it cannot save. Neither is his ear heavy, that it cannot hear. But your iniquities have separated you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear. For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity. Your lips have spoken lies and your tongue has muttered perverseness” Isaiah 59:1-3.
So the problem lies not with God. He hears our prayers and has the power to answer them—his arm is plenty long. The problem lies with us and our sin. “Your sin has separated you and your God.” What can you do? Repent. Humble yourself. Confess your sin to God and try to make things right.
Is there anything else you might do? A token, an action, some bit of symbolism to really show God—and yourself—that you are serious about changing and making better choices? Yes. There is fasting. But fasting is more than simply missing a meal or meals. Fasting is about your heart. When you fast, you “afflict your soul.” You choose it as an act of humility.
In Isaiah 68, the people of Israel were fasting the wrong way, and God rebuked them. And from his rebuke, we can learn how to fast the right way:
“Why have we fasted, they say, and thou seest not? Why have we afflicted our soul and thou takest no knowledge?” Isaiah 58:3. But God answers that they have fasted on a day of pleasure and work, of partying and profit-making. In other words, their hearts were not right. Where is the humility? Where is the grief over sin?
God says this is the wrong way to approach fasting: “But is this the fast that I would have chosen? A day for a man to afflict his soul? Is it to bow his head as a reed in the wind, or to spread sackcloth and ashes under him?” Isaiah 58:5.
Isaiah writes that proper fasting means to stop oppressing the poor and the laborers. Break every yoke and let men go free. Give bread to the hungry. Bring the poor and homeless to your own house and feed them, clothe them, shelter them, vv.6-7.
And THEN—YOUR PRAYERS WILL BE ANSWERED.
“Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily, … and the glory of the Lord shall be thy reward. Then shalt thou call, and the Lord shall answer” Isaiah 58:8-9.
When you need to repent, add fasting to your worship. And when you desperately want God to grant your prayers, you may wish to add fasting to your worship. But fasting is solemn, sober, and serious. Yes, Jesus told his disciples to wash their faces and smile when fasting, Matthew 6:16-18. After all, if you make your fasting obvious, then you are doing it for the wrong reasons. It is a solemn, private practice between you and God. Fast with humility and seriousness. Confess and repent of your sins. Seek God’s face earnestly. And allow the hunger created by fasting to “afflict your soul” and draw you closer to God in your need.
In my experience, fasting feels like an illness. There is a benign sort of oppression that comes over you—a feeling akin to a mild illness. It feels like weakness at first, but as the hunger increases, it is not uncommon to feel something similar to depression. It’s not depression; it’s hunger. But your soul does indeed feel “afflicted.”
Fasting brings a deep humility to the soul, preparing the heart to worship well.
And God rewards fasting. I’m not sure why. Just as God rewards prayers, “ask and ye shall receive,”(Matthew 7:7) so also God rewards fasting. Sometimes God even brings us to situations that require fasting: “These will not come out but by prayer and fasting” Matthew 17:21. When you need an extra boost to your prayers, to your repentance, or simply because you are desperately praying for your child and don’t know what else you can do—sometimes fasting is the answer.
Dear God, help us understand fasting. Call us to it now and then. Teach us the role fasting can play in our lives. Teach us to pray and fast when circumstances require it. Never let us miss an opportunity or a blessing because we were unwilling or unaware of fasting as a spiritual tool.
AΩ
P.S. Obviously missing meals presents physical challenges and is not always wise or appropriate. I do not believe God would ask you to put your health at risk or to behave foolishly because you are desperate to receive his help. When fasting is not an option, you might consider other things that harmlessly “afflict your soul,” such as drinking only water, doing without parts of a meal (skip the butter and salt!), and spending more time in prayer and more time reading the word. Ultimately, God knows your heart and he wants to partner with you in addressing both your needs and your wants. Spend more time in his presence.
Household Words: 