Fasting...a Choice

~~~ Jonah 3:1-10 ~~~ Psalm 51 ~~~ Luke 11:29-32 ~~~

...they proclaimed a fast
and all of them, great and small, put on sackcloth.

The story of Jonah is very well known.

During every Lenten time we are reminded of how Jonah resisted God.

How he came close to defying God and how that worked out for him.

Well I am sure it is not necessary to recap the whole story for you.

Today I want to draw our attention to the fasting...

especially the great and small.

The words great and small were 

not referring to those who were short or to little children.

Instead these words were meant to include

 those who were powerful and wealthy 

as well as those who were the common people.

No one is to be exempt from repenting in the town of Nineveh.

This is true for us today...

we all must repent...no one is excluded.

We have all sinned against our God.

We have all fallen short of our quest for holiness.

There was a reason for their fast...

they had a certain amount of expectancy.

There is usually a reason for one to enter 

into a voluntary fast, joined with intentional prayer.

Because fasting is not easy it helps to begin with the purpose in mind.

Fasting to save your town was a great incentive for the people of Nineveh;

but what about for us here and now.

We must listen for God to tell why he is calling us to fast.

For clarity, I am speaking of fasting from solid food.

We can also fast from other things, like the internet or television etc.

To be most effective fasting should be combined with a time set aside for prayer.

There will be many temptations to break the fast.

Fasting like silence allows us to listen more intently to God.

It removes one major distraction...food.

Is your desire to eat greater 

than your desire to have a closer relationship with God?

We are so used to getting satisfaction from what we eat.

If we compare the satisfaction from eating to that of praying

eating will usually take the lead.

Whenever I consider fasting I think of the millions of people

 worldwide who, by no choice of their own, are forced into fasting.

If there is not enough food available then fasting 

becomes the norm rather than the exception.

Fasting is not the norm for most of us.

We must willingly want to enter into a fast.

It is easier to fast when you are away from your normal routine...

like on retreat, isolated from readily available food.

If you choose to fast at home there is the added temptation

 to just go into the kitchen and find something to eat.

If you turn on the television you will bombarded with adds about food.

If your intention for fasting is in response to repentance then

ask God to help you persevere in your fast.

Consider fasting with a group or at least one other person.

Be prepared for the mental, emotional, and physical effects of fasting.

The hunger pains you will experience

 pale in comparison to what Jesus suffered for our sins.

Remember to drink plenty of fluids and or juices.

Fasting allowed the people of Nineveh 

a heightened awareness of the presence of God 

and it can do the same for us today.

I invite you to seriously consider fasting during this Lent.

You determine to what extent you can fast;

it might just be omitting one meal a day.

Start small and gradually increase your fast.

Fasting shifts our focus to be more mindful

 of what we are doing with our life.

Fasting is one of the many tools 

available to us as we strive to a closer relationship with God.

During this Lenten time take the invitation to fasting

 more seriously than you have in the past...

actually take charge of it.

We are blessed to live in a country where food is plentiful.

We are further blessed to freely give up this food. 

There may be wisdom in fasting;

it just might be good for your overall health.

What if fasting actually extended your life?

Would you be more inclined to skip a few more meals?

My sacrifice, O God, is a contrite spirit...

Peace as we proceed deeper into this Lent.

Make good use of these 40 days.