April 6: Insight Post by Kim Feld
Monday Insight Post
by Kim Feld
Fasting has gained popularity over the years for those looking to restrict calories or eat during specific windows of time. For those without health reasons that would make fasting detrimental, there are proven benefits for our bodies. Especially having a period of time from the last meal of the day to the first meal the next day, allowing our bodies to reset. But that type of fasting is not necessarily for spiritual purposes.
I have had a love-hate relationship with fasting for many years. I know the benefits, both physical and spiritual, but it is hard for me to do. However, I can definitely tell a difference when I am fasting for a spiritual purpose rather than a fleshly one. This is yet another area where the intent of my heart really does matter.
I had an experience a while ago that I really felt compelled to fast about. It was an unresolved relational issue that was causing me a great deal of pain and turmoil. I didn’t know what to do with the situation. I had prayed, sought wise counsel, but still felt unease about how to move forward. The thought occurred to me that I should fast about it, and so I did. My plan was to pray about the situation during the times I would normally eat, but as the day wore on, I found myself praying even more than that. I kept a journal with me and wrote down whatever came to mind throughout the day, and a truly amazing thing began to happen. God softened my heart toward the person that I was struggling with and gave me a fresh insight into the situation. He also convicted me of where I was off base and gently guided me to repentance. In just over 24 hours, I felt the fast was over; God had given me what I needed to move forward.
I have fasted before and didn't get the same result, so please don’t read this as the “magic ticket” to getting answers. But God meeting me that day gave me hope that He would meet me in future situations, and He has, sometimes through fasting, sometimes not.
I wanted God to meet me that day, and I approached it with a sense of expectancy that I don’t always bring to my prayers. God always has the power to move in our situations, but I have learned that I have a part to play too; my heart needs to be in the right place.
I hope that this month, as we focus on fasting, you will ask God how He might want to meet with you there. Sometimes, removing some of our comfort go-to’s opens the door for us to connect more deeply with Him.
Kim Feld
Executive Director of Education and Outreach
New Hope Church
Lorton, Virginia
newhope.org