Matthew 6:16 begins, “When you fast…” This implies we actually do fast. Ever wonder why we fast? What will going without a meal or voluntarily giving up something we love make a difference? Maybe it makes a difference in the way we pray for those who are in need.
I have spent this week with some of my favorite saints — the homebound who desire to be with us on Sunday but cannot physically be present. So many of them have been stripped of many privileges we take for granted like driving or getting a cold drink whenever they feel like it, or going to the bathroom without having to ask permission or hit a button for assistance.
I wonder if fasting, taking a day to feel like one who is unable to make the voluntary choices we do daily without much thought — I wonder if it will help us to pray with fervency, to love with compassion, to hope for their healing…
Fasting as Spiritual Preparation for seeing God.
Fasting is intended as spiritual preparation for an experience of deeper communion with God. Each person is a unity of body and soul. A right spiritual diet and a discipline of fasting go together and strengthen each other. Just as prayer benefits not only the soul but also the body so also fasting benefits not only the body but also the soul. Fasting and prayer make us more sensitive to God’s personal presence
