IN SEARCH OF GOD THROUGH FASTING
by
Lizeth Lopez de Kennedy
"Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that
proceedeth out of the mouth of God" (Matthew 4:4b).
According to the Bible, fasting is to restrain our bodies
from food and drink for spiritual purposes. Fasting should always
be accompanied by constant prayer and by reading and meditating
on the Word of God. It's more than a diet. It's a spiritual
discipline that opens the doors so we can draw closer to God, not
making Him do our will but becoming submissive and receptive to
His sovereign will.
Throughout Scripture, we see why men and women of God -
Moses, David, Elijah, Esther, Anna, Paul and even Jesus, our Lord
- fasted. All of them and many others fasted in order to find
God's mercy, guidance, refuge, answer, will, love, and
forgiveness. They didn't just have knowledge about God, but they
knew Him personally. We may know everything about Jesus, His
birth, miracles, parables, and teachings, but do we know Him
personally? Do we know His intimate thoughts right now? Do we
know what He wants for us and from us?
When we fast, we enter deeply into our personal relationship
with God, and through this closeness, we are able to see our
iniquities and His mercies, our weaknesses and His mighty
wonders.
The purpose of fasting, like other spiritual disciplines, is
to become more like Jesus. Jesus said, "Come unto Me, all ye that
labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My
yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart:
and ye shall find rest unto your souls" (Matthew 11:28-29).
Becoming like Jesus should be our primary goal through
fasting. Many times God is like a father who closes his hand with
something that we really want, so we get close to him, sit in his
lap, and tenderly ask, "Daddy, can I please have it?"
Jesus said, "And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you;
seek, and ye shall find, knock, and it shall be opened unto you.
For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth;
and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. If a son shall ask
bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone?
or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent? Or if
he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If ye then,
being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how
much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them
that ask Him?" (Luke 11:9-13).
God wants us to msearch, to see and to find Him. It is His
desire that we all may experience the benefits of exercising this
special and powerful spiritual discipline. By this we will
experience the benefits of knowing God personally; by drawing
near to Him, we will become more like Him through submission,
touching His heart as a son touches his father's heart. We will
ask for other people's needs and our needs as we seek His mercy
and will in our lives, and we will receive God's special touch
through the power and strength of His Holy Spirit.
All biblical quotes are from the King James Version.
................
Lizeth Lopez de Kennedy lives in Monterrey, Maxico with her
husband and one son, Joseph.
