Life in the Wilderness and Fasting

Photo by Mike Andrei from Pexels

Last year I spent some time researching and thinking about Lent, a journey during which I wrote two posts (A post about Ash Wednesday and one on Baptism). Observed by Catholics and Orthodox Christians, Lent is an annual event during which believers reflect upon the meaning of being a Christian as they prepare for Easter. It is a time to repent and for some a time of fasting in hopes of a growing intimacy with our Lord. Lent lasts for forty days (not counting Sundays) matching the time Jesus spent fasting in the wilderness. But why did Jesus fast and is there any spiritual meaning in this for today's believer?

The Bible says the Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness where He fasted for forty days and was tempted by the devil (Matthew 4:1, Mark 1:12-13, Luke 4:1-2). Normally fasts were about repentance or about mourning. Jesus' wilderness trip was about neither, instead being about submission and about spiritual battle. I suspect that fasting helped Jesus stay centered and focused on His Heavenly Father. I also suspect that fasting helped Jesus battle from a position of strength even though we generally associate submission with weakness.

Ultimately that's what Lent is all about: focusing on our Heavenly Father and submitting to His rule. Through repentance the believer turns away from sin which interferes with true intimacy with God. I believe this should be more than just, "I'm going to stop doing this for a time." Repentance comes from the heart as we learn to align our thinking with God's. Fasting, though not required, becomes a form of submission as we put God first while trusting that He will meet our needs.

I do fast occasionally, though never for forty days. I also know others who fast and who testify of spiritual growth that follows their fasts. I find it amazing how God responds when I give myself over to seeking Him in full submission. I don't see fasting as required but I have found it beneficial to my spiritual journey, especially when I find myself in those wilderness moments of spiritual battle. It's during those times, when I find myself in the midst of the struggle, that I am glad that Jesus set an example of fasting and (as He did in the Garden of Gethsemane) of prayer. As I focus on and call out to my Father, I find that He always responds and always brings victory. I believe that if you call upon Him with an earnest heart, He will bring the same to you.