My Stomach Grumbleth
Submitted by Anita Schwartz:

I remember in church when I was a teenager that we not only had a prayer chain where people committed to pray a specific hour every day, but we had a “fasting chain” where people agreed to fast on one particular day of the week so that our congregation was praying and fasting 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Fasting is to abstain from food. Some more modern suggested fasts are fasting from social media, fasting from sarcasm or negative talk, and fasting from the news. There’s also fasting from food for one meal or during daylight hours.

I think all of the above are worthy and beneficial, but I would like to talk about fasting in the traditional sense. Have you ever fasted from all food for more than 24 hours for the express purpose of prayer? If you haven’t, you are definitely missing an opportunity to draw near to God in a very intimate way. As a bonus, James 4:8 tells us that if we draw near to God, He will draw near to us!

Jesus said in Matthew 6, “When you fast…,” not if, but when, as if he expected his followers to do so. I have found it a huge blessing to plan and dedicate times of fasting and prayer. When I am fasting for several days from food, I am reminded in a very physical way (stomach growling, weakness) multiple times, even hourly, throughout each day that I have a Maker who provides for my needs daily. When I feel hungry, but I continue fasting, I am reminded to be thankful for delicious foods and the ability to enjoy them. It’s also an opportunity to deny self and focus on God. Denying myself the comfort and sustenance of food for a time reminds me to praise God for even small blessings that I take for granted every day.

Each time I feel hunger, I remember to pray for those on my prayer list: a friend who recently had by-pass surgery, a young mother going through chemo as she battles breast cancer, a frightened little girl who is being relinquished by her adoptive parents and the family in Texas that is frantically going through paperwork and seeking financing to adopter her and provider her a family that will love her forever—and more. When I see everyone enjoying my favorite pizza and I want a bite, but I decline, I think of Jesus and the far greater sacrifice He made for us.

When I am weak from hunger, I must draw on strength from above, and I realize that “God is my refuge and STRENGTH,” (Psalm 46:1) and as little children often sing, “I am weak, but He is strong.” It is so easy for adults to forget the weakness and vulnerability we experienced as little children. When we were very small, we accepted that we were powerless to care for our own needs, to drive where we needed to go, to even survive without someone caring for us. We grew up and found that we could care for ourselves, and sometimes we forget that we still have One who cares for us, without whom we would not survive.

Throughout each day, I like to think that I am in constant prayer, that I have a running conversation going with my heavenly Father. But when I am fasting, I realize that I am in constant prayer at a much deeper level. Minute by minute, my growling stomach urges me to remember who it is that sustains me. I am constantly, constantly, in a powerful, tangible way, reminded to turn to God.

If you’ve never fasted from food—or if it’s been awhile since you’ve entered into several days of meditating on God and denying your physical desires—I believe that you may find fasting beneficial to drawing you closer to God. I am no Biblical scholar, but I know why fasting and prayer go hand in hand. Fasting makes me weak, needy, and powerless. Time spent in prayer makes Him strong, benevolent, and ever-present. I call that a win-win.