The Spiritual Side Effects of Fasting
"The Temptation of Christ on the Mountain" by Duccio di Buoninsegna (ca. 1255−ca. 1319)
Spiritual disciplines grow our faith as a byproduct. They have spiritual side effects that come as we submit ourselves to God through certain habits and actions. Fasting is one of those practices that when we do it we receive some really incredible spiritual benefits, but in the Bible fasting isn’t primarily something we do as a spiritual discipline. Its main purpose is a way of communicating that things aren’t ok, that something terrible has happened or that something needs to change (see Why we should fast). In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus teaches us that instead of fasting to communicate to other people that things aren’t ok, we should fast with God as our only audience. Fasting is still communication, but it’s between us and God, nobody else. We tell God through our fast that things need to change, knowing that God is the only one who can do anything about it. This is our primary purpose in fasting, but fasting also comes with a lot of good spiritual side effects.
It gives you more time for prayer
In the Bible fasting is often paired with prayer. When you think about how much time we spend preparing food, eating, and cleaning up afterwards, skipping a few meals can really add a lot of free time to your day. We can take this extra time to pray and bring our concerns before God. The paradox is that while we are denying ourselves physically, we are feasting spiritually.
It teaches you how to say no to your body and builds your willpower
Your body desires to eat, which is important because if you don’t eat, eventually you die. Fasting is about saying no to that desire to eat for a little while. You’re telling your body that it will be ok if it doesn’t get exactly what it wants every moment of everyday. Over time, as you exercise and strengthen your willpower, it becomes easier to be in charge of your body in other ways. The patience you gain in learning to wait to eat carries over into other areas of your life.
It teaches you how much of a sinner you are
Fasting has a way of showing you what’s deep down inside. You see your short temper, your lack of patience, your selfishness, etc. Buried heart issues come to the surface. Why is this good? One, learning about your sin will help you deal with these issues and repent. Two, it produces humility to know who you truly are on the inside. Kindness, mercy and patience for others becomes a little easier when we see that all it takes is a skipped meal or two to make someone difficult. Three, not only does it produce humility, it gives insight and wisdom into one of the darkest most mysterious subjects of all, the human heart. Despite vast advances in technology and knowledge over the centuries, the human heart is basically the same as it has always been. Fasting teaches us through experience the power of desire, and it can help us train our desire and aim it at God. Lastly, knowing all this makes you realize even more the grace and mercy of God. He loves you even though he knows the state of your heart better than you do. So, how truly great is His love!
It teaches you how weak you are
Along with knowing about how great a sinner you are (which is fun, right?), you learn how finite you are. Once again, this is important self-knowledge. The biblical picture of humanity is a creature filled with the very breath of God but made from the dirt. On one side we’re of immeasurable worth, while on the other we’re extremely fragile, weak, and limited. The Bible compares human life to mist, which is gone in an instant. Fasting reminds us of how precarious life is, how we’re not self-sufficient, and how the basis of life is to receive things from outside ourselves. All this means that God starts to look a lot bigger as our sense of self is put in proper perspective.
Longer fasts bring clarity
After a while of not eating and spending more time in prayer, things start to fall into place. This isn’t to say everything gets easier, but your sense of what is most important becomes clearer. The fog of ordinary life lifts a little bit and the path ahead gains more focus. Or to shift to a different set of senses, things become quiet enough that you can hear God more clearly. Both Moses and Jesus undertook lengthy fasts towards the beginning of their respective ministries. I can’t help but think that one of the reasons was for the clarity that they needed to see and pursue God’s will wholeheartedly. The fast gave them the space for insight and time to hear the voice of God. Just to reiterate, these are the side effects of fasting. They aren’t the primary reason you do it. It’s like eating better because you want to lose weight and finding out that it also makes you feel better too. Fasting expresses our need for God, and God responds to that need with more than we could have hoped for or imagined.