Preparing to Fast

In our Webinar last week we decided to fast on Tuesday as part of our spiritual preparation for our trip. In the book Soul Feast : An invitation to the Christian Spiritual Life by Marjorie J. Thompson she mentions two main purposes for fasting based on ancient Jewish traditions. “The first was to express personal or national repentance for sin; fasting was a form of humble supplication before God in the face of imminent destruction or calamity (see Joel 2, Jonah 3, and Esther 4). The second purpose of a fast was to prepare oneself inwardly for receiving the necessary strength and grace to complete a mission of faithful service in God’s name” (69-70). You will find example of this in Acts 13, 14. The ultimate goal of missions is to bring people the good news of Jesus Christ. As we mentioned in the webinar, we need to expect opposition from the devil but at the same time we need to expect the Lord to give us strength and peace (Psalm 29:11). Preparing for the spiritual battle through fasting is not only biblical but wise. So what are we supposed to do that day? Think about exactly what you are going to give up. If you are giving up food, have a sensible breakfast and water throughout the day. Whatever you decide to give up should be replaced with prayer or a Bible verse. Jesus had to use three verses when he was tempted by the devil during his fast (Matthew 4), we should have at least one verse that we can rely on every time we feel weak. The idea is to exercise “total dependence on God” (Platt, Radical) and strengthen our Spirit. Doing it as a group will be an opportunity to unite us and empower us for what the Lord is preparing for us to do in Haiti.

by Dolly