Fasting is Feasting on God in Prayer

Fasting is Feasting on God in Prayer

“Say to all the people of the land, and to the priests: “When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh months during those seventy years, did you really fast for Me–for Me?

(Zechariah 7:5 NKJV)

Fasting is feasting on God in prayer.

When someone has a feast, they literally stuff themselves full of good food. When you participate in a feast, you are taking time to ENJOY the time you have set aside for yourself. You enjoy a good meal, you enjoy good music, you enjoy good friends, and you basically enjoy a good time. It lifts you up and after the feast you are completely satisfied.

You have feasted. It is an enjoyable experience and your body shows it. Your body starts to digest more food. Your mouth starts to hum the good music you heard, and you reflect on your conversations and experiences during the feast.

Fasting is feasting on God in prayer.

The problem in Zechariah’s time is that the people fasted for themselves. They cried, they mourned, they stopped eating because they were so focused on their own problems that they begged God to help them.

One one side, they cried to God to help them in their distress. On the other side, they pleaded with God out of fear. They feared His judgment. Why? Just as God said, they were not feasting on God. They were thinking about what they could get out of their prayer time.

Prayer times can often be this way. Gimme, Gimme, Gimme. I need this, and I need that. So God, you owe me and I need your help. The focus of the prayer time is on yourself.

God doesn’t want you to fast like that.

Sometimes, we fast from food, or something that we crave for a couple of days because it makes us look good with other people. Someone asks you: What are fasting from? You tell them – “I am not going to eat chocolate.” Of course that doesn’t stop you from eating other sweets, and it isn’t really a fast. You are just showing off. You are displaying your spirituality to the world.

But what about God? This is God’s point.

Did you really fast for Me–for Me?

For whom did you fast? Was it for yourself, your spiritual self-esteem? Did you do it for someone else? God says: Do it for Me.

Fasting needs to be feasting on God in prayer.