Fasting

This week my husband and I participated in a church-wide fast. I thought it was an awesome way to begin the new year and I wanted to share some things I learned through fasting this week.

I chose to do a Daniel fast (fruits, vegetables, and nuts) since I'm breastfeeding. It really isn't all that difficult as far as hunger, but it definitely did the trick. The point of fasting is to deny the physical in order to focus on the spiritual. I love it because I was constantly thinking of what my next meal would be, or how much I just wanted some MEAT, and when I found myself thinking those thoughts, I prayed. My personal goal for the fast was to begin the new year in God's will. I prayed all week that the Lord would help me to go deeper into my relationship with Him and that my attitude, decisions, and lifestyle would all be according to His will for my life.

During the fast I decided to re-read the book of Ezra. A small but very powerful book, I thought it would be a perfect break from Genesis, which I'm currently going through. It actually came as quite a surprise to me that the book of Ezra talks about fasting! Isn't God amazing?!

"Then I (Ezra) proclaimed a fast there at the river of Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God, to seek from Him the right way for us and our little ones and all our possessions........

........So we fasted and entreated our God for this, and He answered our prayer."

Ezra 8:21 and 23

I was talking to my best friend about fasting and she brought up a good point. It's not something you can do in order to make God answer your prayers. It would be childish to think that we could refrain from eating and bend His will to suit our own. Exactly like it says in Ezra, the point is humility, and bending ourselves to suit His will. It's a very un-human thing to do--not eating and letting God be in control, but I was truly blessed this week.