Fasting and Lent

 

Now the Lord said¹ to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” So Abram went, as the Lord had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. (Genesis 12:1-4 ESV).

 

Fasting and the Lenten Season have long been joined together. Without doing a lengthy Biblical exposition of the validity of this practice, let me simply say that fasting is a healthy spiritual exercise. It can make us aware of the life-changing power of walking with God. I found the attached cartoon recently and it called to mind how little we recognize the power of such a simply spiritual exercise.

 

After a period of fasting, we may well see that there are behaviors and attitudes we can do without, and new practices that can help bring light to our path. As a sign of devotion to the Lord, we may want to give up old habits and develop a new spiritual discipline, realizing it will also take some hard work. For example, it’s not easy to give up an unruly tongue, a destructive pattern of life, or unchecked negative habits. Nor is it easy to become more thoughtful in prayer and reflection with God, to intentionally take time for a neighbor, or to concentrate more on honoring God in our worship.

 

Our reading today gives us an incredible look into the depth of faith in the life of one of the Patriarchs, Abram. Few of us leave everything behind immediately, as Abram did. Most of us make step-by-step changes. The Bible also shows that Abraham struggled along on his journey with God. He didn’t make progress on his own; he did it with God and in his strength.

 

Whether we are fasting or not during this season of Lent does not matter in itself. But wherever we are on our way with the Lord, we have opportunities to listen to his voice, to examine the burdens that constrain us, and to let something go so that we can serve God more freely and faithfully. I encourage you to think of one thing that you could let go of in order to more faithfully follow the path God has put you in. There is no time like the present to reorder our priorities in such a way to uncomplicated our decision making as it relates to our behavior. There’s a lot of talk about “freedom” these days. The real freedom can only be experienced in our submission to the rule of our Heavenly Father. Make that your decision today!