Lessons from Biblical Fasting

We are getting near to one of God's Holy Days, where we will do something that most people in this world and in their lives would find it very strange to do. Even in religious circles, this is not something that is commonly practiced by Christians. If you were to ask your religious friends when the last time they fasted or to draw near to God was, you'd probably catch them, first of all, off guard, and then they would probably stumble around trying to think up an answer or to bring back to memory the last time that they fasted in order to draw near to God. Many Christians believe it's not explicitly commanded in the Bible that followers of Jesus should fast. I remember being a kid, and I don't remember the exact scenario or how it came up, but my friends at school found out that one of the Holy Days that we observe, we don't eat and don't drink all day for 24 hours, and they looked at me as if I was the craziest person in the room that day. I remember that part very clear. It must have been high school because I must have felt comfortable enough to share it, but it was so strange that somebody would go 24 hours without a medical reason. We could check with Dr. Comet. There are times to fast for medical reasons, but without a medical reason, somebody would choose to go 24 hours without eating or without drinking.

There is the one command listed in the Bible where we are instructed to fast. That is, of course, the Day of Atonement that is coming up here in less than two weeks. We are told when we should fast on that day, and we are told how long that fast is to last from sunset to sunset. But no other scripture exists detailing out a command from God that Christians should fast before God.

So as we specifically approach this upcoming Day of Atonement, I think it would be good for us to review some biblical examples of fasting and to look at what we can learn about the proper way to fast. We see throughout God's Word examples of fasting multiple times that we see that done by God's people. And so there's lots of these examples that we have, and there's lessons that we can learn about the proper way to fast from those. The first lesson I'd like us to focus in on today is that we can draw on is our complete dependence that rests on God. When you consider the magnitude of what life exists like for you and me, the ups and the downs, the pluses and the minuses, we can go through example after example of our own dependence on God and the times that we've had to call out to Him, the times we've had to draw on His power and His sustenance. For the example today, let's look at Matthew chapter 4 and verse 1 as we open our Bibles. Matthew 4 and verse 1.

Fasting, going out with without food, especially for our children, is you realize quickly, sometimes by noon that day, of how much we depend on God for our support, and how dependent we are on Him. Matthew 4 verse 1, we have the example of Christ being tempted by Satan, and His response to Satan is what we're going to look at with just the first example. Matthew 4 verse 1. Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil, and when He had fasted for 40 days and 40 nights afterward He was hungry. That might be a little bit of an understatement. 40 days and 40 nights, a miracle that God provided in this instance of sustaining Him and providing for Christ, says afterward He was hungry. And now when the tempter came to Him, and notice that, the tempter came to Christ. We could describe the same thing in our lives, couldn't we? How often that Satan comes to tempt us. He comes and looks for us. He seeks us out. He did this with Jesus as well. Now when the tempter came to Him, He said, if you are the Son of Man, command that these stones become bread. But He answered and said, it is written, man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. Again, we see that in this passage that Satan is the one who is the tempter. He is the one who comes before Christ and tries to catch Him off His guard. Imagine if fasting for 40 days or 40 nights, just how challenging that would be if we were not focused. If God wasn't the one that was providing what we needed in that instance to be able to stay strong. And also we see in this instance that Satan tempted Him with something real, something tangible, something He needed in life. Granted, He was God in the flesh, but He was also very human. He was completely human, in that He needed food to live if it wasn't for God's divine intervention in this instance.

Satan tried to tempt Christ with food, saying, make bread so that you can eat. This thing that you and I often take for granted when we can eat, those who have had eating difficulties, struggles with that, they understand the challenge that can come with just something as simple as that. But make bread so that you can eat. Was the need real? Absolutely. Christ had just fasted for 40 days and 40 nights. He was human and He would have been hungry. But Christ was dependent on God to provide the sustenance He needed to live. We see this in both how He fasted in the length of 40 days and how He resisted Satan's attempt to cause him to sin, this attack that Satan brought on Christ.

Christ knew that God would be the one that would provide His needs and that He did not give in to His own physical hunger in this instance, which obviously was a great strength that God provided Him to be able to do in that moment, that focus, that dependence, that leaning on God that He did so that He could withstand Satan's temptation. Food is a necessary part of life and one that most humans do enjoy. God created mankind. He created you and me with the need to eat, the joy that comes from it. I often think about that. God could create one perfect food, kind of as He did with the Israelites. He could have created that perfect manna, that one thing that you and I could just enjoy and it would provide all the nutrients, everything we needed. But He created such variety, such pleasure, such fun things that we can have, and especially as we get ready for the feast. That's one of the things that often is at the top of our list of things to do. New foods to try, new restaurants to go to, or to get that standby perfect steak that you just can't wait to get every year. God has created so much variety and it's a pleasure and it's a joy that He has given us in food. But there's other things that we need. Water, for example. According to the United States Geological Survey Department, up to 60 percent of our bodies are made of water.

Specifically, the heart is 73 percent. It's almost three-quarters of the heart is water. The lungs are about 83 percent water. And muscles and the kidneys are about 79 percent, again, almost 80 percent water. What about air? We know we must have oxygen to breathe.

From ShareCare.com, which is a health website that says that humans, when resting, inhale and exhale about seven to eight liters of air per minute. So I'm going to slow down a little bit. So it's talking seven to eight liters. You breathe in and out. It's counting both directions of air per minute. This totals about 11,000 liters of air a day that we actually breathe in and then exhale. So if we're just talking... so if we lined up 11,000 liters, so everybody can imagine a two-liter bottle. So let's cut that in half. 5,500 two-liter bottles that we lined up and something that we take for granted and just respiration, being able to breathe, and that dependence that we have on oxygen that we don't even think about that much through the day. That's how much we breathe in our dependence. What about the right body temperature that you and I need to have? If a body temperature is too low or too high, we know it will lead to death. Most people have a body temperature around 98, 99 degrees, give or take a little. On the cold side, though, it would only take about a three degree drop in body temperature to start intensely shivering. You and I have been outside. We've worked outside. We've played outside where we start shivering because we're standing there. We're cold, and that's only about a three degree drop.

If we were to have a 10 degree drop, it would be an extremely serious condition being near death, so just 10 degrees cold. On the hot side, a six degree rise in temperature would be close to a medical emergency, so just six degrees. So we've had bad fevers, 102, 103, 104. You're pushing that limit of medical emergency at about 105 for most people with the temperature. And again, a 10 degree rise would be a serious condition being near death. So we're talking 10 degrees plus or minus our normal temperature. Five degrees is dangerous. It is getting close to a medical emergency, whether it's hot or whether it's cool. 10 degrees either way is a medical emergency, and we'd be near death. When you think about just 10 degrees plus or minus, that's not a lot of wiggle room for you and me, yet this is what we have most of the time in our life is this perfect temperature, plus or minus a couple degrees. Food, water, air, temperature, all these things that we must have and that must be regulated correctly in our lives in order for us to exist.

But even more important than these physical aspects, we need God in our lives and we need His direction and guidance as Christ referenced at the beginning that we just read. This is that spiritual side, that spiritual sustenance that is so critical to you and to me. We are to eat and to live by the Word of God so that we might live both today and of course eternity with God. When we rely on our own abilities or our own sustenance, then we become proud and self-reliant. When we trust in our own powers, we feel inwardly little need for God as we each have done from time to time. We think about, well, I've got a job. I'm able to provide for my family. We've got a grocery down the store that I can go and buy food. I'm a pretty good Christian. All of a sudden, we start to realize there's a lot of I's, there's a lot of me's in our conversation and then we start to realize, oh, I'm pretty good at what I do at my work. I'm pretty good at being a good neighbor and taking care of my kids. You realize there's less and less of a dependency that we have on God in those moments, but then you talk to somebody who's struggling with a health crisis. You talk about somebody who just lost their job and you talk about people who are underemployed and wondering how they're going to be able to continue to make the mortgage and things. That's somebody who's got a different approach in life because of where they're at and they realize how day to day they have to be dependent on God. And that's what is so important. And part one of the aspects of fasting is when we draw near to God, we see ourselves through a mirror that is not as foggy as it is when we're pretty self-reliant. When we draw near to God, we realize how dependent we are on for Him, for life, for energy, and of course the spiritual side for that eternal life. We just, it changes our focus, and that's one of the aspects that we can draw on from fasting. When we maintain this mindset on God, then we can remain balanced recognizing where our dependence is. It's not on what you and me can do, but on what God can do for us. The next lesson we can draw on and learn from fasting is about humility. For this example, let's turn ahead to just one chapter. Let's look at Matthew chapter 6 and we'll start reading verse 16.

The few lessons that we can draw out here in Matthew 6 and verse 16.

Right from the get-go, we can see that it says, moreover, when you fast. That's a critical element that sometimes we can read over fast. When you fast. Not if you fast, but when you fast. There's an expectation from Jesus Christ that we are to fast from time to time. Not just on the day of atonement, but through the year at different other different times. It says, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites with the sad countenance, for they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting. Surely, I say to you, they have their reward. But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your father who is in the secret place, and your father who sees in secret will reward you openly. So there's several things we can draw on here. But verse 16 from the New Living Translation, I like how this one reads, verse 16 again from the New Living, says, and when you fast, don't make it obvious, as the hypocrites do, for they try to look miserable and disheveled, so people will admire them for their fasting. So people will admire them for their fasting. And then he finishes up, says, I tell you the truth that the only reward that this is the only reward they will ever get.

In this passage, Jesus is not condemning fasting, but the wrong attitude that can accompany it. Jesus says specifically, do not be like the hypocrites. Do not be like the one that's faking that they're doing something that internally they're not. That's not really who they are.

Pharisees would voluntarily fast twice a week. We see to impress people in their lives with their holiness. We know this from not only historic accounts, but even Christ references in the parable with the Pharisee and the tax collector. When Christ shared the example, the Pharisee who would fast twice a week. In instances like the parable described, fasting for some was done wrongly as an outward show of righteousness. But here in Matthew 6, Christ was instructing the correct way to fast that it can be an inward desire to draw near to God and to honor Him. Fasting is to be done before God only. It's not so that we seek praise or glory for man or even from our family members or anybody else. But just a few verses earlier, we see something else that's interesting in Matthew 6 and verse 2. He speaks that if we do things to receive the praise of man, then we have our reward. He follows it up in the same passage we just read, but let's read it too because he repeats several things that that is our reward, that praise, that what would you say? Well, praise from fellow man of how holy we are. That if that's the inward approach that we're going for, if that's what our heart says, then their praise is the extent of any reward that we would receive from God. Matthew 6 verse 2, he says, Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from man.

Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. Sometimes people do say things like, oh, that was such a great deed that you did for that other person. Or, wow, that person must have a great, you must have a great relationship with God, because I can see the self-control that you apply and how much you fast every every week, or every month, or every certain amount of time. These statements, if that's what we're going for, is to receive these statements from our fellow brothers and sisters, then that's the extent of what God says our reward will be. This attitude is not something that God Himself would reward. It's the spiritual side of fasting that we must have our focus on, how we should be drawing near to God, how we should be praying, reading, meditating on His Word.

There's a passage in James that speaks about the importance of humility as well. James 4 and verse 6. There's many, many passages that speaks about humility, but here's another one from James 4 and verse 6.

Humility must be the approach we take as we come to the day of Atonement. Other times of the year, as we approach God in a fasting frame of mind and physically restraining from food and from drink, in James 4 and verse 6, we read, Therefore, He says, God, and this is breaking into the thought a little bit, therefore He says, God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble. Therefore, submit to God.

That S-word, submit to God, resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and that's often the focus that should be that focus of us fasting is to draw near to God. It says, draw near to Him, and He will draw near to you. Verse 9, lament and mourn and weep that your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy into gloom. I think about that often with the little kids, and I used to be one of them. Those little kids that look like they're dying on the day of Atonement. We've all, if they were our kids, we saw it. They're laying on the seeds.

They're just looking at the little siblings that are able to have a couple of Cheerios or a little bit of food, and they're just looking at it like it's the last food on the planet. That's what I think about when I go, more, lament and mourn and weep. That is one of the challenges sometimes when we do fast, especially for our little guys and little girls. But verse 10, humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up. That thought of that aspect and the importance of coming to Him with that humble frame of mind, that humble mindset, is critical because when we do that, He is the one that then lifts us up. And if we're going through trial, we're going through challenge, as we heard with the sermonette, God is the one who lifts us up when we come to Him with that humble attitude. Why does God delight when we humble ourselves? Is He the great God of the universe that just loves to keep His thumb on His own creation? Does He have nothing better to do than to look down and say, look at these weak humans. Let me see how I can control them today. Does He take joy in our small stature as far as it compares to His? Absolutely not. God knows our nature better than we know our own nature. And He wants us to make... and He knows that if we just had the choice in life, that we would make our nature and ourselves the center of the universe.

Think about this for a moment. Separate out your spiritual side just for a moment, and imagine if you had no spiritual guidance in your life. What would be the focus of your life? What would be the focus of tomorrow, of today? Would it be on others, or would it be on yourself?

We'd want our lives to be all around us, all around us. We'd want what we want, when we want it, and however much we want. It would be all about me. This is exactly why God is so concerned about it when it comes to you and me. This aspect, this mindset of humility, this inward desire that we each have to make everything about us goes completely against a humble spirit and a humble attitude.

This is not the nature that we see in God the Father and in Jesus Christ. This is why working to have a humble heart and a spirit must be something that we strive for. Let's turn quickly just to Isaiah 66 in verse 2. Isaiah 66 in verse 2.

The prophet Isaiah is inspired to write. Let's read verse 1, because it says, Thus says the Lord. This is the Lord speaking here. It says, Heaven is my throne, and earth is my footstool. Again, God is bigger and better and more awesome than anything else in this universe. And he's saying, so what is this planet earth? What is this air that you have? What is this food? What is this shelter that you have? It's nothing compared to his greatness. He says, Where is the house that you will build me? And where is the place of my rest? He's saying, What can you provide to me? And he says, For all these things my hand has made, and all these things exist, says the Lord. And here's the key, but on this one will I look, on him who is poor and of a contrite spirit and who trembles at my word. Do you want to draw near to God? Do you want to be close to God? Do you want to be in his presence? The one who this earth is nothing to, if you really look at his grandeur and his greatness and his magnitude, this earth really is nothing. But he says, This is the one who can come before me. This is the one whom I will look on him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, that humility that if we can continue to pray for, continue to draw near to God, asking for more humility in our lives, he's saying, Out of everything that I have on these people, on this creation, on this mankind that has created my own image to those who are humble, I will look.

Just again, this opportunity to fast before him on this upcoming Holy Day, and we can see the importance of humility throughout Scripture.

The next lesson that we can glean from fasting is that fasting can provide direction and help from God on specific matters. This can be for any number, any list of a number of things that are things that we have going on in our lives. For this example, let's turn to Acts 13 in verse 1. We'll look at a couple examples for this point, but the first one will be Acts 13 in verse 1.

We know the early church after Jesus Christ's death and crucifixion and death, and then his resurrection, and then the Holy Spirit was given on Pentecost. We know after that that the church exploded as far as God's Spirit going out and churches growing and work being done. And here in verse 13, we see part of that work happening, and we see the process that went into as the churches continued to grow, and its leadership was placed in positions to serve God and to serve his holy people. Acts 13 verse 1, it says, Now in the church that was in Antioch, there were certain prophets and teachers, Barnabas, Simeon, who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manon, who had been brought up with Herod the Tech-Truc, and Saul, and they ministered to the Lord and fasted. The Holy Spirit said, Now separate to me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them. Then having fasted and prayed, notice what they did here, they didn't just follow God, but they fasted and prayed, then followed him and laid hands on them, and they sent them away. Those in the church in Antioch prayed, and they fasted over Barnabas and Saul, and then they set them apart for the work of ministry by laying their hands on them and for the work that God had set before them for them to accomplish. And then in chapter 14, we see a future work now being done in Barnabas and Paul again, where they set apart elders. This is Acts 14 and verse 21. So, as far as our Bibles go, it's just one chapter forward. But then they themselves start setting apart based on God's guidance, other elders within the church after prayer and fasting. Again, Acts 14 and verse 21, as they consider a number of things that are on their mind, as God's church is growing, as it's expanding. This is something that they were looking for God to say, who are these people that you want in these positions to lead your people and to do your work? And here it says in Acts 14 verse 21, and when they had preached the gospel to that city and made many disciples, they returned to Vystra, Iconium, and Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith and saying, we must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God. And so, when they had appointed elders in every church and prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord in whom they had believed. Again, churches are being established, and they had the responsibility of choosing men who would be serving in the role of elders within these congregations. And as they set these men apart, they prayed and they fasted. We also have an Old Testament example of God's people fasting for his direct involvement and guidance, and this is found in the book of Esther.

You can begin turning to Esther chapter 4.

We're going to start in, I can find Esther, Esther chapter 4. But as you know from the from the story that we've read and studied before, in the previous chapter, the Jews are being threatened after Haman creates a plot to destroy, to utterly wipe out every single Jew that was there, that lived in this kingdom, that was being governed by the king. They looked to wipe him out, and Haman was responsible for that. Mordecai found out about this servants plan of the king, and he told Esther and he told others, his word started going out, and we pick up the story here in verse 13. Says, and Mordecai told them to answer Esther, do not think in your heart that you will escape in the king's palace any more than all the other Jews. Remember, she was a queen in the king's palace. She had opportunity to reap the blessings of being one of the queens, or the queen there. In verse 14, he says, for if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father's house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this? That's really laying it on somebody's head, heavy, isn't it? We've all been in these responsibilities where we had to be an example of God working powerfully in our lives, and sometimes we've had to step up to the plate. We've had to take that next step. In verse 15, it says, the nester told them to reply to Mordecai, Go, gather all the Jews who are present in Shteshwan, and fast for me. Neither eat nor drink for three days, night or day, my maids and I will fast likewise. And so I will go to the king, which is against the law, and if I perish, I perish. So Mordecai went his way and did according to all that Esther commanded him. As we heard in the sermon at, was this Esther's sugar cookie moment?

Because she didn't wake up one day and think that this is going to all come down on her, but in the moment of this, she realized what was in front of her, the avenue that maybe she did have before the king. But she asked everyone to pray, to fast with her as she would as well, to see, is this what God, how is God going to open the door? Because so many times we go through life, we have challenges, we may even counsel with a doctor, we may counsel with our neighbor, our family members about something that's on our plate. But ultimately, there is no better counselor than God, and we all know that. And in these instances, when we draw near to him to ask for his guidance, to ask for his direction, maybe it's for his healing too. These prayers go up.

But more importantly, we want to be where God wants us to be.

And that's what Esther was going and asking the people, and she herself was saying, if I can be a tool in your hand, show me what I can do and allow your favor to go before me.

Next chapter, Esther 5 and verse 1, we see that time goes by and it says, now it happened, on the third day that Esther put on her royal robes and stood in the inner court of the king's palace, across from the king's house, while the king sat on his royal throne, in the royal house facing the entrance of the house. We know the rest of the story. She's able to go in, and God's favor goes before her. But what an amazing example that we have of relying and going to God and fasting, asking for him to show the way that he wants us to go.

It's not always clear. Sometimes your situation may not be a life or death situation, that you're facing, like the Jews were here. But you may and will be needing direction for things in your lives. Every one of us who've lived a decent amount of time have had to face those moments where we didn't know what to do. How many times? And these are the ones I can't stand. The 50-50s, right? You have a 50... you feel 50% moved one way to say yes or 50% to say no.

How do you decide? It's been interesting. It's times Kelsey's had these types of things, and it takes me back to when I was a teenager, and I first had some of these 50-50s. Which way do I go?

And yet we can see when we put things aside and we go to God and we rely on him, he often shows us that path, that direction. He makes it so clear in our mind. Some have asked others to fast with them at different times, just as Esther did here. And it's not for the purpose that God grants extra direction because of the sheer number. It's not that if we hit the 50-person mark of that's fasted and prayed with us, God is now obligated to answer. We know that. But through common community praying and fasting together, God can show a group of people what his will is. He can also allow there to be peace in the minds of everyone involved because they all sought God's will in a humble attitude. There's been times we fasted as a church for God's will to be shown. Not that we can get something done, not that so it forces God to do something, but so at the end we all realize we did our part and that God is in charge. And that's that important aspect that we have to always remember. In this example, we don't see Esther telling Mordecai what God needs to do. She doesn't say that this is how God's going to open it and this is go tell everybody to pray specifically for this just as we don't do that either. But they simply humbled themselves and they sought how God would deliver them from this dreadful situation. And he did in an amazing and tremendous way. The next lesson is that fasting can be used in conjunction with repentance as we consider our sins and as we draw closer to God. We each know there are many times in our life that we fall short of the standard that God has set for us to live. God is the one who has defined the standard for our lives and he is the one who created us in his own image.

And God defines sin as breaking his holy, just and perfect law. There are times that we should draw nearer to God through fasting after our sins have been revealed and shown to us by God. For this example, let's begin by turning to 1 John chapter 3.

1 John chapter 3 and verse 4 is where we'll start.

Again, it's God's holy law that when we sin, we transgress.

And when these sins are revealed to us and we realize the magnitude or if it's a continual, habitual sin or one that's becoming apparent to us that is becoming habitual, this is where we need to go to God in fasting. We need to say, God, help us. Help me. Show me. Provide for me. Put up barriers. Put up walls for me so that I can more effectively fight the temptations that come in. 1 John 3 and verse 4, whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness and sin is lawlessness. This is where we get the definition of sin. And you know that he was manifested to take away our sins. Jesus Christ was. And in him there is no sin. Whoever abides in him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen him nor known him. In this instance, we see that gap between God and his righteousness and sin, that chasm that can't be crossed except for through the blood of Jesus Christ. When we come to God and we the Father and we ask for that repentance, we ask for that healing, we ask for that forgiveness of what we've done. He's the one that then crosses over through the blood of Christ, that chasm that we create. We do fall short in God's standards of life. And when we think about biblical accounts of this happening, one that we often in our own minds quickly go to is King David and Bathsheba. There's much we can look at concerning this account, but I'd like to focus on what we have recorded from the prophet Nathan addressing David's sins. What was David's reaction is what I'd like us to look at. This is in 2 Samuel 12 and verse 13. 2 Samuel 12 and verse 13.

What was David's reaction? What was the direction that he decided to go? Because he had options, as many options as he had to choose wrong in this account, to go down the wrong path. He had plenty of options to continue to make poor choices here, but what did he do in this instance?

2 Samuel 12 and verse 13. So David said to Nathan, I have sinned against the Lord. And Nathan said to David, The Lord also has put away your sin, and you shall not die. However, because of this deed, you have given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme. The child also who was born to you shall surely die. Then Nathan departed his house, and the Lord struck the child that Uriah's wife bore to David, and it became ill. David therefore pleaded with God for the child, and David fasted, and went in and lay all night on the ground. So the elders of the house arose and went to him to raise him up off the ground, but he would not, nor did he eat food with them. Then on the seventh day it came to pass that the child died, and the servants of David were afraid to tell him that the child was dead. For they said, indeed, while the child was alive, we spoke to him, and he would not heed our voice. How can we tell him that the child is dead? He may do some harm. Then David saw that his servants were whispering. David perceived that the child was dead. Therefore David said to his servants, is the child dead? And they said, he is dead. So David arose from the ground, and this is that change that we see as well. And this, so David arose from the ground, washed and anointed himself, and changed his clothes. And he went into the house of the Lord and worshiped. That kind of seems like maybe a strange thing as we read through this passage that somebody would do in this instance. But he went into the house of the Lord and worshiped. Then he went to his own house, and when he had requested, they set food before him, and he ate. Then the servant said to him, What is this that you have done? You fasted and wept for the child while he was alive, but when the child died, you arose and ate food. And he said, While the child was alive, I fasted and wept. For I said, Who can tell whether the Lord will be gracious to me that the child may live? But now he is dead. Why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me.

Through this account that we see here, we see that repentant attitude and actions that he now sees clearly, all the wrong that he had done. The fast was about drawing close to God in humility, so that God would hear him, not, though, to satisfy his own, to satisfy God by punishing himself. David didn't go to this saying, God, if I hurt myself, will you then allow this to be done? That was not the purpose here. It was not to satisfy God by punishing himself or to obligate God to fulfill his request. This was not an outward show of his humility, so that others would say, Oh, look, the king is being humble now, and this was not the purpose of what David was doing here.

David realized that his sin had consequences on others around him, and that his son was going to die. Often, you and I know that. When we sin, it's not only we who we often hurt, it's those who are closest around us, often those that we love the most in this world. This is when fasting can help not only repair our hearts in these instances, but also the hearts of those who we love and we've hurt as well. Through his sorrow and repentant attitude, David made his will known to God.

But when God said no, David realized this was the answer from God, and then he cleaned himself up, and he went, and he worshipped God. This was a fast of repentance and worship. In Daniel chapter 9, we have another account that is important to consider as we look at this passage here. Daniel 9 and verse 1, as we consider this example, rather.

Another prayer of repentance in Daniel chapter 9 and verse 1. This time, it's not only a prayer of repentance for himself, but for a whole group of people that we'll read here in a moment.

Daniel 9 and verse 1. In the first year of Darius, the son of Hazareth, of the lineage of the Medes, who was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans, in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, understood by the books the number of the years specified by the word of the Lord, through Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem. Then I set my face, knowing... So that's showing how long that they would be in captivity, that he had revealed to him and he could understand. And he's saying, then I set my face towards the Lord God to make requests by prayer and supplication with fasting, sack, cloth, and ashes. And I prayed to the Lord my God and made confession and said, O Lord, great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant and mercy with those who love him and with those who keep his commandments, we have sinned and committed iniquity. We have done wickedly and rebelled, even by departing from your precepts and your judgments. He goes on to continue to just pour himself out on behalf of himself. He acknowledged that he was part of this process and also on behalf of the others that were there with him. He could see the sins of the nation, which led God to allow them to go into captivity.

Daniel expressed repentance and asked God for deliverance. In times of adversity, it's easy for you and me to sometimes look across and to blame somebody else for the situation that we've gotten ourselves into, especially if maybe they're part of the reason why we're here.

Instead of just saying, you know what? I am responsible. I can make choices. I can choose to go one way or the other. And sometimes we want to point the finger. We want to blame others, but we don't see Daniel doing this.

If anything, Daniel was one of the most righteous that we see through this account that we have recorded here. And we see in his actions, and we see how God intervened to keep him alive in the lion's den. And yet he counts himself as one who has fallen and sinned. We see this humility, and we see this repentance in his heart. He confessed his sinfulness and the need for God's forgiveness. He expressed remorse, was repentant, and sought God's guidance for how to go forward and for God's deliverance of his people.

And as we repent, and we fast, and we draw near to God, part of our focus in this fast, when we have that repentant mindset, should be on the love that we have for God and his way. Psalm 119 is written by an unknown author, but it captures a beautiful phrase about those who love God's fall. Psalm 119, and we'll start in verse 1. The entire chapter is just wonderful to read through, but we're not going to do that today, because over and over, the psalmist just repeats and repeats how great and how important God's law is to us, how much he loves God's law.

And when we come to God in a repentant state of mind for sins that we have done that transgresses God's holy, just, and perfect law, we should come back to a mindset where we reflect on his law, what we have done, on the importance of it, on the change and the impact that it has on our lives. And when we read through this, just consider the greatness and this approach that we should come to God, not only saying, I'm sorry for my sins, but I recognize how important your law is, how much I need it to be part of my life. Psalm 119, verse 1.

Blessed are the undefiled in the way who walk in the law, blessed are the undefiled in the way who walk in the law of the Lord. Blessed are those who keep his testimonies, who seek him with the whole heart. They also do no iniquity. They walk in his ways. You have commanded us to keep your precepts diligently. Oh, that my ways were directed to keep your statutes. Then I would not be ashamed. He's looking at himself through this, too, and he's recognizing, I can say all the praise I want about it, but I recognize that I fall short in my own life.

He says, then I would not be ashamed when I look into all your commandments. I will praise you with the uprightness of heart when I learn your righteous judgments. I will keep your statutes. Oh, do not forsake me utterly. How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to your word with my whole heart, I have sought you. Oh, let me not wonder from your commandments. Your word, I have hidden in my heart that I might not sin against you.

Blessed are you, O Lord, teach me your statutes. Let's flip ahead to verse 58. I entreat your favor with my whole heart. Be merciful to me according to your word. I thought about my ways. Again, he's reflecting on his own self here. I thought about my ways and turned my feet to your testimonies.

I made haste. I did not delay to keep your commandments. The cords of the wicked have bound me, but I have not forgotten your all. And then verse 97. Oh, how I love your all. It is my meditation all the day. For though your commandments make me wiser than my enemies, for they are ever with me.

I have more understanding than all my teachers. For your testimonies are my meditation. I understand more than the ancients, because I keep your precepts. I have restrained my feet from every evil way, that I may keep your word. I have not departed from your judgments. For you yourself have taught me how sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth. Though through your precepts I get understanding, therefore I hate every false way. And verse 105, which is just such a beautiful passage, your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.

We see that important quality of when we do come to God in repentance and in prayer and in fasting, that we also recognize the beauty in His law, the importance of that foundation, that structure that we have, the protection that we have by keeping His law, that we also have that dual mindset, not only of saying that we recognize our sin, but we realize why it's considered and called sin in the first place. As we get near our conclusion, there are a few do's and don'ts and cautions I'd like to just remind you of. One is that we never fast believing that we will get whatever it is that we ask of God.

God desires that we draw near to Him. God is not the genie in the bottle that just grants us whatever we want.

If we go to God thinking that if we fast long enough or if we fast often enough that He will do whatever it is that we ask or that we're praying for, then we're making Him a genie in a bottle, that He's obligated now to do what we've asked Him to do. That is not the mindset that we should we should never fast believing that whatever we ask or need that God now has to grant. We also don't fast so people will feel sorry for us. It's not, again, about that outward experience that we display to others. It's that we must have that humbleness, that inward humbleness and attitude.

And what about how long we should fast? Of course, we must be careful as we age. We must be careful when we are taking medication prescribed by our doctors. If you, I would encourage you to consider and to heavily consider continuing to take your medication as prescribed or at a minimum, you need to talk to your doctor about the dangers of not taking your medication on a day that you privately fast or on the day of atonement. There are certain medical conditions that would prohibit fasting, certain health challenges and conditions that would stress your body to an extreme state that could be potentially dangerous. And in these instances, you must talk to your doctor about this.

We have examples of pregnant women, nursing mothers, very young children who all should restrain and be careful about fasting. God doesn't want us to fast to physically or mortally hurt our bodies in a way that does damage. That's not the intent. Now, if you ask your child or a teen who is fasting, they may think it's for to mortally hurt their bodies. But, and for most kids, this is a challenge. They have these little itty-bitty bodies that just don't have the stores of cowards like some of us do. And so it is hard on them. And this is why you must evaluate your children's ability to fast, how long they should fast, and even know when to break the fast early if they're starting to explore their ability to fast. If you've encouraged them and you're motivating them down that path to realize and to seek wisdom and when you break that early if those times come. As we do wrap up here, this world as a whole doesn't understand the importance of fasting. To most, it does sound like something crazy to do. To go all day without eating or drinking, and you do it in order to draw closer to God. Often, I think, to use a common phrase today, many will probably look at you and say, you do... No, I've got it all messed up. You do you. Have you ever heard somebody use that phrase and you're in conversation with somebody and there's come into this point where they don't really see eye to eye but they aren't going to tell you that you're wrong? So they just say, you know what, you do you. It means just be yourself, just do what you're going to do. It's a phrase used to effectively end the conversation to not an agreement and often to just move on. You do you. It's an interesting phrase when we consider the concept of fasting. You do you, meaning whatever makes you happy, whatever makes you feel good, whatever makes you feel productive in your life, then you do you. But what's funny about the phrase and the response is that it goes opposite of what God wants for our lives.

God doesn't want us to just you do you. God wants us to you do God. Do what God wants us to do with our lives. Follow God and let him lead our lives. Fasting is just one of those ways that we better follow and more closely follow God and what he wants us to do with our lives. This is one of those aspects that is critical to a Christian as we continue to go forward in our Christian walk, as we continue to grow and mature, as we continue to build a more solid foundation after under us that we continue to allow fasting to be an important aspect of our life. Because you do you is going to lead us to a path that we don't want to go. But you do God and that's exactly where you and I want to be.