Fasting and prayer is a significant rhythm of our house, as we leave the Christmas season and enter a brand new year
Fasting is the discipline of abstaining from food or something we consume daily (media, social media, etc.) for a spiritual purpose. We replace the time we would spend partaking in food or online with additional time spent in prayer and meditation.
Prayer is the discipline of spending time talking to the living God and listening carefully as He speaks. We can engage in meditative, intercessory, contemplative, or other types of prayer. The point is, we’re bringing ourselves before Jesus, our great high priest, and He intercedes on our behalf to God the Father.
Both of these spiritual disciplines should be rhythms in the believer’s life. A rhythm is a regular occurrence, not done when we need something. Often, we hear of believers fasting only when they’re waiting for a specific word or praying only when they need something from God. Yes, God is indeed faithful to speak and provide. Still, like any other discipline (community, personal and corporate worship, evangelism, etc.), we need to be engaging in them regularly, as we become fully mature followers of Christ.
As early as the fourth century, the church applied this rhythm of fasting during the Advent season. In the weeks leading up to Christmas Day, congregations would abstain from food and other indulgences in preparation for commemorating the arrival of Christ. I’m reminded of the Christmas carol, Joy to the Word, where we sing, “let every heart prepare Him room.” Fasting during Advent marked a season of reorientation, where the people of God turned away from the cultural norms, to point their focus back to Jesus the Savior.
It wasn’t about waiting for a word or praying for an answer. Fasting and praying are about orienting ourselves back to God, stripping away the things that distract us, so we can see and hear Him clearly.
I pray that this time of fasting and prayer would be one of reorientation for you. As you step into 2022, let us fix our eyes on the Author and Perfector of our faith. Let’s be filled with the wonder and awe of His presence above all else, seeking Him for who He is, not what He can do, above all else.