Solemn Fastings
March 28, 2025 | by: Dale Thiele | 0 Comments
Posted in: Pastoral Encouragement
According to Westminster Confession of Faith XXI.5, “Solemn fastings are a part of the ordinary religious worship of God… which are, in their several times and seasons, to be used in an holy and religious manner.” I think it is pretty safe to say that for many of us, if not most of us, fasting is not an ordinary part of our worship of God. Why is this? It could be the lack of understanding of the importance or value of fasting. It could be the challenge of fasting. It could be the lack of attention fasting gets in our circles. We may perceive Jesus’ teaching on fasting as, “keep it secret,” so we don’t talk about it. And what is kept in secret can easily be left unobserved.
Let’s consider what we can learn about fasting from Scripture; perhaps the encouragement of Scripture will spur us on to make fasting an ordinary part of our religious worship of God.
First, Jesus assumes his disciples will fast. There is no explicit command to fast in the New Testament (there is in the OT, associated with special feasts). But Jesus speaks about fasting as if he expects his disciples to fast. In Matthew 6:16 Jesus says, “When you fast…” That conjunction “when” in Greek is explicitly just that. It cannot be translated “if.” Jesus gives instructions on how to fast, while expecting his followers to be fasting. Then, in Mark 2:20, Jesus says, “The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in that day.” He is responding to the question of why his disciples were not fasting. He compares his presence as the bridegroom celebrating at the wedding feast. One day, however, Jesus will be taken from his disciples. “Then they will fast in that day.” Once again, this reveals that Jesus assumed that his disciples will fast. If we don’t have an ordinary habit of fasting, we are in opposition to Jesus’ intentions for his disciples.
Second, fasting deepens our enjoyment of God. Back to Matthew 6 and the “secret” instruction about fasting. Jesus says in verse 1, “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.” Regarding fasting, he says, “When you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” The secretness of fasting is not so much making sure no one knows that you are fasting; the secretness hits at the reason for fasting. Jesus is confronting religious practices that were aimed at getting accolades from others. Do not fast in order to be seen as religious before others. The true reason to fast is to receive the reward from our heavenly Father. What is that reward? God himself.
John Piper explains this well in his book on fasting, A Hunger for God, “The supremacy of God in all things is the great reward we long for in fasting. His supremacy in our own affections and in all our life choices. His supremacy in the purity of the church. His supremacy in the salvation of the lost. His supremacy in the establishing of righteousness and justice. And his supremacy for the joy of all peoples in evangelization of the world.” Jesus promises us reward with God when we fast. That promise alone should compel us to the ordinary habit of fasting.
Third, fasting reflects a longing for Christ. This is implied in Mark 2:20 when Jesus says that in the day the bridegroom is taken away, namely, Jesus, “then they will fast in that day.” Why will the disciples fast in the day that Jesus is taken away? Because they long to be in his presence again. As Piper says, “Fasting is a physical expression of a heart-hunger for the coming of Jesus.” Likewise, we join with Christians throughout the centuries longing for the return of Christ as we fast. Fasting is an expression of longing, making explicit that nothing in this life can satisfy like Jesus Christ. But more than that, fasting weans our hearts of loving the things of this world more than Jesus Christ.
Fourth, fasting connects with prayer as a means of dependence on God. In Acts 13:2 we read, “While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, ‘Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.’” The church of Antioch combined fasting with prayer as they depended on the Lord for direction. In the midst of the dependent activity, God initiated the greatest missionary endeavor ever in the history of the church. How might God use us if we combined fasting with our prayers as a form of dependence on his leading?
There might not be an explicit command in the New Testament to fast on a regular basis; there certainly is not a lot of teaching on fasting either. But this does not minimize the value and importance of fasting. Jesus expects us to fast. Our relationship with God is enriched by fasting. Our hearts are trained to savor Jesus more and more as we fast. God works in and through us as we fast. Let’s make solemn fastings an ordinary part of our religious worship of God.
Second, fasting deepens our enjoyment of God. Back to Matthew 6 and the “secret” instruction about fasting. Jesus says in verse 1, “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.” Regarding fasting, he says, “When you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” The secretness of fasting is not so much making sure no one knows that you are fasting; the secretness hits at the reason for fasting. Jesus is confronting religious practices that were aimed at getting accolades from others. Do not fast in order to be seen as religious before others. The true reason to fast is to receive the reward from our heavenly Father. What is that reward? God himself.
John Piper explains this well in his book on fasting, A Hunger for God, “The supremacy of God in all things is the great reward we long for in fasting. His supremacy in our own affections and in all our life choices. His supremacy in the purity of the church. His supremacy in the salvation of the lost. His supremacy in the establishing of righteousness and justice. And his supremacy for the joy of all peoples in evangelization of the world.” Jesus promises us reward with God when we fast. That promise alone should compel us to the ordinary habit of fasting.
Third, fasting reflects a longing for Christ. This is implied in Mark 2:20 when Jesus says that in the day the bridegroom is taken away, namely, Jesus, “then they will fast in that day.” Why will the disciples fast in the day that Jesus is taken away? Because they long to be in his presence again. As Piper says, “Fasting is a physical expression of a heart-hunger for the coming of Jesus.” Likewise, we join with Christians throughout the centuries longing for the return of Christ as we fast. Fasting is an expression of longing, making explicit that nothing in this life can satisfy like Jesus Christ. But more than that, fasting weans our hearts of loving the things of this world more than Jesus Christ.
Fourth, fasting connects with prayer as a means of dependence on God. In Acts 13:2 we read, “While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, ‘Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.’” The church of Antioch combined fasting with prayer as they depended on the Lord for direction. In the midst of the dependent activity, God initiated the greatest missionary endeavor ever in the history of the church. How might God use us if we combined fasting with our prayers as a form of dependence on his leading?
There might not be an explicit command in the New Testament to fast on a regular basis; there certainly is not a lot of teaching on fasting either. But this does not minimize the value and importance of fasting. Jesus expects us to fast. Our relationship with God is enriched by fasting. Our hearts are trained to savor Jesus more and more as we fast. God works in and through us as we fast. Let’s make solemn fastings an ordinary part of our religious worship of God.
