The Purpose of Fasting (Part 4)

Our fasting devotional today is part 4 of a new series titled "THE PURPOSE OF FASTING" from Richard J. Foster in his book "Celebration of Discipline".

Fasting reminds us that we are sustained "by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God". Food does not sustain us; God sustains us. In Christ, Colossians 1:17 says, "All things hold together." Therefore, in experiences of fasting we are not so much abstaining from food as we are feasting on the word of God. Fasting is feasting! When the disciples brought lunch to Jesus, assuming that he would be starving, he declared in John 4:32 and 34, "I have food to eat of which you do not know....My food is to do the will of him who sent me, and to accomplish his work." This was not a clever metaphor, but a genuine reality. Jesus was, in fact, being nourished and sustained by the power of God. That is the reason for his counsel on fasting in Matthew 6. We are told not to act miserable when fasting because, in point of fact, we are not miserable. We are feeding on God and, just like the Israelites who were sustained in the wilderness by the miraculous manna from Heaven, so we are sustained by the Word of God.