Introduction

Fasting has to do with denying the body food for a while so as to achieve a goal whether spiritual, physical or health-wise. Physically, it helps to lose a few pounds.  Healthwise, doing away with some types of food heals the body and/or reduces inflammations.  Spiritually, fasting subdues the entire human person so that the body and mind can commune with the divine without the human person getting in the way.  It helps to concentrate on the divine, especially because we also live in a rather noisy world. 

 Why do we pray and fast?

Prayer and fasting helps us to grow closer and closer to God.  It helps us to purify ourselves continually before God.  It helps us to lose weights/burdens that we carry that hinder us from worshipping God.  We carry the weight of sin, unforgiveness, discontent, bitterness, lust, covetousness, complacency in the things of God. Prayer and fasting helps us to place our entire focus on God and so frees us so that we are able to worship God, for our lives are meant to be one continuous act of worship of God.

Humans are carnal beings while God is divine.  Prayer and fasting helps us to bridge this divide. Left to our devices, humans will govern themselves, and move as far away from God as possible. Therefore, we pray and fast so as to bring our carnal nature under the lordship of Christ.  We pray and fast so as to subjugate our carnal nature under the Spirit of God. We pray and fast to as to re-align ourselves with the will of God for our lives.

As we go through our everyday lives, there are many things that push and pull against God’s will for us.  There will be many things that attract our minds and drag us away from our fellowship with God.  Fasting and praying, is like a pitstop that is necessary every now and then, so that we allow the Holy Spirit to call us into Godly order. 

 How do we fast? 

Fasting has to do with putting away those things that take us away from God’s presence so that we can focus on Him. 

1. Food – you can partake a full dry fast for a few days where you do not eat any food or water.  You can partake a fast where you drink water only. You can take a fast where you only eat fruits and vegetables and no animal products.  The idea here is to remove our minds from our physical needs as represented by hunger pangs and thus concentrate on God. 
2. Other pleasures – during your fast, put away all manner of pleasure so that you can concentrate only on God.  You may not be eating with your mouth, but, indulge with your eyes and ears.  That too has the power to drive you away from God.  What you store in your mind is powerful.  So, empty your mind of all pleasure and concentrate on God for the period of the fast. 
3. Prayer – take time to pray during the fast; it is not a hunger strike.  You can find pockets of time in your day to concentrate on God and pray. Usually there is that which you want to ask God for/about, therefore, take time to mention it to God during this time.  A written prayer list is particularly helpful.
4. Scripture reading and meditation – take time to read and meditate on scripture.  During your prayer times, allow your reading of the day to flow through your mind.  It will be a great time to also memorize scripture.  And because you are focused, you will find it rather easy to hide God’s word in your heart.

What happens when you are tempted to eat/indulge? Let that be the prompt to call to God for help. It will be a struggle at first, but with the right mindset you will get there.

Benefits of prayer and fasting

1. We are able to perceive the divinity of God.  We are able to perceive his glory, love, grace and mercy. This teaches us and enables us to remain in reverence before God.
2. We are able to hear from God.  He speaks in a still, small voice while we live in a very loud world, both literally and figuratively.  We need to be quiet before God in order to hear his voice.  We cannot hear him when everything in and about us is so loud. 
3. We are able to remain calm and know that which is God’s will for us. We also get strength to follow Him in obedience.  Ordinarily, we will not do things simply because God said so.  We question even the very voice of God.  In the time of prayer and fasting our hearts are more receptive.
4. We are able to exercise self-care as we empty ourselves before God of all manner of anxiety and worry.  In a stressful world as we live in, self-emptying before the one who promises to carry all our burdens will bring us calm, balance and tranquillity. 

Conclusion

The power of prayer and fasting is found in removing the ‘self’ from the centre and allowing Jesus Christ to occupy that position.  When we allow Jesus to be the centre of our lives, we are able to worship Him as we ought.

“Yet even now,” declares the Lord, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; and rend your hearts and not your garments.” Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and he relents over disaster. (Joel 2:12-13, ESV)