My First Fast with God: The Scary Truth

Dry. Empty. Feeling distant from God. Praying with no answers. I need an answer from God but it feels like my prayers hit a brick wall. Can you relate to my mental and spiritual state before my first fast?

I remember having that conversation with a friend in college and was shocked at her answer. When was the last time you added fasting to your prayer life? The scary truth: I had never fasted.

I countered with distain and condemnation.  It wasn’t Lent, I’m not Jewish and we live under the New Covenant.  Who fasts nowadays?

Related Post: Why Do We Fast and Pray? 5 Reasons God Calls His People To Fast

How Do You Rationalize Not Fasting?

She literally dragged me out of bed at 5 AM to some campus service where we heard all the virtues of biblical, New Testament fasting.  Then we sorted cans for the homeless mission group during the time we would have eaten breakfast.

I didn’t want to spend the day fasting but, I also didn’t want to be judged by my Christian Friends.  Also, I hate to quit things.  So I went along with the charade… my first fast… submitting to the crowd’s choice to fast but not surrendering to God’s call to fast (if you know what I mean).

Related Post: Why I Moved from Christian to Disciple

My First Fast Was Scary: My Story

By 2:00 PM, I was spent.  I was pale and dizzy enough that people thought I was sick.  Every hunger pain made me want to rip someone’s head off.  And I still had two classes and a crazy test to study group to make it through before the day was over.

At 8 PM, we all dutifully gathered back in the chapel for a time of praise and worship where I literally slid to the floor.  I felt hungry and exhausted for the first time in my life.

Then the music began.  I remember sitting on the floor with so many others (that is not a strange thing in a college chapel) suddenly curling up into a ball, rocking at the strange sensation that came over me.

Know that I was not a hyper-spiritual person. In fact, I grew up believing the power of the Holy Spirit was a thing of the past – just for the time of the apostles.  We could never sense His presence – I just knew it.

Feeling His Presence

So imagine my surprise as it felt as though I was being rocked in the arms of God the Father. As I sat in tears, feeling Him for the first time in a long time, He whispered,

“I have not gone anywhere. Your prayers have not been ignored.  I love you. You are cherished and protected.  I will never leave you or forsake you.”

We sat in Worship for close to an hour but I didn’t sing (unheard of for me).  Instead, I sat soaking it all in, rocking in the arms of my Daddy, observing the faces of others who loved Him and were trying to live His way. I was enthralled by the beauty of the body of Christ.

Related Post: Spiritual Fasting for Breakthrough: The Key to Awakening

Feeling Fully Satisfied

When we left the chapel, everyone seemed filled up, shiny, and new.  No one complained of hunger or sickness.  Everyone talked about experiencing the Spirit in the room in some way or another.

I didn’t feel hungry anymore.  I felt like I was full again – maybe for the first time.

“And the Lord will continually guide you, And satisfy your desire in scorched places, And give strength to your bones; And you will be like a watered garden, And like a spring of water whose waters do not fail.” (Isaiah 58:11 NASB)

My First Fast Was Too Confusing To Repeat

I would love to say that this first experience started a regular habit of fasting but it didn’t. The experience of my first fast was quickly rationalized away.  I couldn’t talk about it to my friends and family back home without being called a heretic.

Soon, the craziness of life set in I forgot the power of fasting.  I forgot how close it drew me to God.

And I didn’t understand it enough to repeat it.

Can you relate?

Related Post: 7 Different Types of Biblical Fasting

Answering Questions Now From My First Fast To Help With Yours

Now, I love teaching the simplicity of fasting and prayer by answering the questions we all have… the questions I had before my first fast but didn’t follow up on for years.

• Why would we fast?
• How can I Fast and Pray In A Way that Pleases God?
• What are the Do’s and Don’ts of a Time of Fasting?
• What Can I expect during a Time of Fasting?

Together, we have dug deep into scripture to answer all those questions.  Click the phrases to read more!

A word of wisdom as you embark on this journey: be gracious to yourself.  A fast does not make God a genie. Sometimes, we leave it with no answers.  But we always draw nearer to HIM!  Which is the real point!

Will join me in a time of fasting with God?

in HIM,

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