I've tried and tried to formulate a point to what your about to read. But it can't be done. So I will just say what I want to say, and leave the rest open for comments.
Last Sunday at Pillar Church, Clint preached about insincere worship. He talked about the Pharisees and their fasting, Isaiah's chastisement of Israel for Their fasting, and three main reasons for fasting. The sermon isn't really relevant to anything, other that the fact that, after being told about the sermon, a curiosity and desire toward fasting began to take place.
So on Monday, June 16 2008, I fasted for the first time. I wasn't sure what to expect or how to go about any of it, but I knew that if I just replaced the time spent eating with prayer or something, good things will happen.
All things started out well enough. I met up with Keilan in the morning and prayed. He knew I was fasting and decided to fast as well. It was also his first time. Then things started going down hill. I was asked to eat by practically everyone I knew, but I didn't want to say anything because I would feel like I was boasting. And I couldn't to go pray or read scripture, because most of my day consisted with driving these people around.
All said and done, I broke my fast at around 6PM. There are a few things that I would do differently.
Pick a better Day. I had to many plans and not enough escape routes, if you will, to leave and pray and truly fast. When I think of people fasting, I think of someone who devotes a whole day to the event. Someone who will meditate on the Word in prayer for a large portion of time, and doing very little. Mostly I think of them fasting for some type of answer or guidance on an issue they need resolved.
Pray more. I certainly did not pray as much as I wanted.
Have a more specific goal. I know what fasting is, and what it signifies. But I should have had a more defined reason for the fast. I did have somewhat of an idea but nothing really structured or set.
Nonetheless, it was truly an act of worship, and I know God was pleased with me today. I genuinely wanted to come to Him for strength and depend on Him for endurance and His word for wisdom. I am just inexperienced, I suppose.
Any thoughts, comments, tips?
(I usually don't write like this, but it's late and I need sleep.)
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2 comments:
Good thoughts, Bobby. Just a suggestion here- if the day is not conducive to fasting from food, consider fasting from something else. Obviously, there is a need for some thought and prayer to go into this one, but fasting doesn't always imply abstinence from food.
A couple of months ago I spent two weeks fasting from music, and it did a lot to focus my time with God, as well as giving me extra time to pray, since every time I was in the car was now a time of silence instead of singing.
And there have been several times that I've gone on extended facebook fasts, simply as a way to confront my flesh and deny myself (a thing that I find helpful, anyway).
Just a thought. =)
Linz and I have done some thinking about fasting. And done some of it too. If you get us together tomorrow, let's talk about it.
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