Tuesday, February 28, 2006

Fasting

I dont think we fast to see God move.

I hear that a lot.

I think there is some small merit to this.

I think we fast because God moves.

Maybe we fast because God moved.


Maybe Jackson could write this in a haiku form.

4 comments:

ylmurph said...

I appreciate your blog - but you lost me on this one
-confused in cincinnati

P said...

Im lost too!!!!

I think what I realized is a lot of talk I hear is

"We are going to fast and pray so that...."

I regularly hear the idea of fasting presented as a way to get God to do something He isnt ("revival"), or to get Him to stop doing something He is (judgement).

I am beginning to doubt thats the way it works. I also doubt some people always mean it the way it sounds (to me).

I think we actually fast because God somehow asks us to. For instance....

God says "I just love this person (person A) so much. I want someone to invite me into this situation so that I can move".

Then a person (person B) thinks "I really know God loves this person, and I know He wants to touch them. I am going to pray"

But in either one of them (or both!), or in something in the situation, there needs ot be either something removed, or there needs to be a breaking or somethings.

So then...

God says "I really need to break something out of the way to move in this persons (person A) life"

and Person B thinks "I am going to fast"

And then fasting breaks down the people and the situations involved, and positions them for God to move without Him destroying things, or overwhelming the people.

I dont even think this catches it, but the idea that we fast to see God move seems to me upsides down. God wants to move, and He seeks out ways and people to move in and through. And as they hear Him, they fast to make way for it.

I doubt seriously we come up with this on our own, and I doubt seriously that we get God to do anything by it. I think He already has a plan, and fasting breaks down the things that arent consistent with it.

ylmurph said...

well said - you just shortened the book I'm reading -A Hunger for God, John Piper
by a few hundred pages..

Anonymous said...

Sean, you are so right on. Some of my friends think we fast to turn God's hand. I see it as we fast to have the capacity to stand in the day He extends His power. Good word, my friend.