The Road to Redemption: Spiritual Disciplines – Fasting 2

    In our last article we looked at fasting in the Old Testament. Fasting was/is the spiritual practice of not eating food for a particular period of time. Fasting was used for any number of purposes including seeking God's help in the face of war, sickness and impending danger. It was also used as means of approaching God while seeking forgiveness or more generally seeking God's will. Fasting was considered to be useful because it allowed people to focus on prayer and a relationship with God rather than the needs of their own bodies. Fasting was only commanded on the Day of Atonement but was frequently used (as we have seen) on many other occasions. Finally fasting was to be done not as a ritual but as a devotional practice which was accompanied by a humble and contrite heart. Fasting as a public show of piety was rejected by the prophets and by God. As we turn to the New Testament we will see that while fasting is present, it does not play as significant a role as it did in the Old Testament.

    The scriptures only record one fast of Jesus. This fasting occurs during his testing in the desert at the beginning of his ministry. In Matthew 4:1-4 we read of Jesus being forced into the wilderness by the Spirit in order to be tempted by Satan. For the Gospel writer this is Jesus' Moses-like wilderness experience which will require total concentration on his call from God if he is to save humanity. In order to succeed, Jesus fasted, setting aside all physical desires so that he could be totally connected to God. The fast prepared him for the test and gave him the courage to remain faithful to his mission. It is noteworthy that on at least one occasion (Mark 2:17-19) when the disciples of John the Baptist were fasting and Jesus and his followers were not, Jesus explained this by saying that his followers could not fast because he was with them (implying that they might fast later). Jesus also continued the prophetic tradition of condemning fasting that is for show and not as an act of inward devotion to God (Matthew 6:16-18) .

    The Book of Acts offers us a glimpse into the place of fasting in the early church. In Acts 13:1-3 we read of the church at Antioch praying and fasting in order to discern God's will for their congregation. The result was that the Holy Spirit commanded them to set aside Paul and Barnabas for missionary work. A second example of fasting is that of the commissioning of elders. Paul and Barnabas in their travels would appoint elders in each of the churches they visited. This appointment process was accompanied by prayer and fasting (Acts 14:21-23) . This passage can be understood that all "ordination" of elders was accompanied by fasting…though it may only mean that Paul and Barnabas ordained elders in all the churches. The third and final occurrence of fasting in Acts comes in Acts 27:9 which refers to "the fast." This would imply that Paul along with his companions continued to keep the Jewish fast of the Day of Atonement. The dearth of references to fasting in Acts has been taken by some scholars to mean that the practice was not essential in the life of the early church. I would take it to mean that Jewish Christians brought this practice to the Gentile Christians and it took a while to take hold in those communities.

    I believe this to be true because over time fasting became a required practice in Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox and Anglican traditions. Within these traditions there are fast days and fast seasons such as Lent. Each tradition created its own rules and regulations so that people would know when and how to fast. Lutherans encouraged individual fasting but it was not a prescribed practice. Our own Protestant tradition initially rejected fasting as a practice. Calvin believed that believers' entire lives ought to be focused on a simple life which would produce a sense of continual fasting. Zwingli (an early Reformer) was so opposed to periods of fasting that he encouraged people to have a sausage-fest during Lent. In more recent years we Protestants have come to see fasting as a spiritual discipline which can be used to focus our lives while we seek God's guidance and direction.

    

The Road to Redemption: Spiritual Disciplines – Fasting 1

    Fasting is perhaps one of the most ancient and common practices among all religions. It is the practice of abstaining from eating, and sometimes drinking, for an extended period of time. In ancient religions fasting was used to prepare priests and priestesses for the task of approaching the gods (Hellenistic religions); for obtaining penance (pre-Columbian Peru); as the preparation for a vision quest (Native American peoples); as a means to receive visions (Evenk peoples of Siberia); as a means for shamans to control the spirits (multiple religions); as preparation for changing seasons (Pueblo peoples); as a way of enabling individuals to reach a transcendent state (Jainism); as a way to celebrate holy days (Theravada Buddhism).

    Fasting is also a part of most major world religions. It is integral to the Baha'i faith where during most of March Baha'i's will not eat or drink during daylight hours. In Buddhism it is practiced during times of intense meditation, though monks and nuns seldom eat after the noon meal as a way of practicing an almost daily fast time. Hindus (depending on which school one follows, or which gods one worships) can fast on certain days of the month, certain days of the week or during religious festivals. The type and duration of fasting varies as well. In Islam, fasting is the fourth of the Five Pillars of the faith. Most Muslims fast during the month of Ramadan. The fast is daily and lasts from dawn until dusk. Fasting is believed to move one away from bodily desires and toward charity and humility because it focuses on giving up indecent speech, fighting, arguing and improving ones charitable giving. Sikhism is one of the few world religions that does not promote fasting.

    The ancient Israelite religion (the precursor to Judaism) practiced fasting as well. One of the oldest examples of this occurs in the book of Job when Job's friends join him on the ash-heap and sit with him for seven days and nights. Though fasting is not specifically mentioned, the context of mourning (wailing, dust and ashes) implies that they did not eat for this period. A second example of fasting as mourning occurs in the book of Esther when the Jews fast because of a decree which was intended to destroy them. This use of fasting, as part of mourning, is one of many different ways in which fasting was used. Here are some other ways in which fasting was used.

Fasting was used as a way of preparing to encounter God. Moses speaks of having fasted for forty days and forty nights on Mt. Sinai as preparation for encountering God (Deut. 9:9). Daniel used it as preparation to meet God in prayer (Daniel 9:3). It was used as a means of expressing penance for wrong-doing, such as when King David, having been convicted by the prophet Nathan of having committed adultery and murder fasts as his infant son dies (2 Samuel 12:17); or when Moses fasts because he broke the first copy of the Law (Deut. 9:17-18); or when Ezra mourns for the faithlessness of the people in Jerusalem (Ezra 4:4-5). It was used as a means of seeking God's forgiveness. We see this in the writings of the prophet Joel when he encourages the people to fast in order that God's judgment not fall upon them (Joel 1:14). The prophet Jonah calls the people of Nineveh to fast for the same purpose; so that God will not destroy them (Jonah 3:7). Fasting was also used to humble one's soul (Psalm 35:13), to celebrate a victory (2 Chronicles 20:3), to seek God's protection in dangerous times (Isaiah 58:3) and as preparation for a dangerous mission (Esther 4).

In modern Judaism fasting continues as a religious practice. There are six major fast days within Judaism, with the two primary being Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement) and Tisha B'Av (the remembrance of the destruction of the Temple by the Babylonians). Certain Jewish traditions add other days and times such as a bride and groom fasting on their wedding day. Fasting is used seek atonement, to mourn and to express gratitude.

The Road to Redemption – Spiritual Disciplines Prayer in the New Testament 2

    The previous installment of our New Testament prayer discussion focused on The Lord's Prayer as a model for Christian prayer. What we will look at in this article is the place of prayer throughout the New Testament. We will do this because prayer, as much as any other element, binds the second testament together. We will begin with prayers around the birth of Jesus, continue with Jesus' prayers and then move into the prayers of Paul in his letters.

    The Gospel of Luke begins with the acknowledgement that Zechariah the priest and his wife had been praying for a child. An angel says to Zechariah, "Do not be afraid for your prayer is heard…" (Luke 1:13). We move from this prayer to Mary's prayer of praise which she offers when she is told she will bear the messiah. It begins, "My soul magnifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my savior" (Luke 1:46-47). The opening chapter of Luke finishes with Zechariah praising God for the gift of his son John, "Blessed be the Lord God of Israel for he has visited his people" (Luke 1:68). Soon after Jesus' birth we meet Simeon who gives thanks to the Lord (Luke 2:29ff) and Anna who worshipped, fasted and prayed every day (Luke 2:37).

    The recorded prayers of Jesus are relatively few, though the scriptures make it clear that prayer was an integral part of Jesus' life. The prayers of Jesus which have been preserved are those which were offered to God at significant moments in Jesus ministry. The first appears in Matthew 11:25 which is a transition point between Jesus' initial teaching ministry and his laying claim to the messiahship. Jesus prays, "I thank thee Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hidden these things from the wise and understanding…." This prayer is a reminder of why Jesus will be rejected by the religious authorities. Next we have Jesus praying to raise Lazarus from the dead (John 11:41ff). Jesus asks God to raise Lazarus in order that people will believe that Jesus is the one sent from God. In John 12:27 we listen to Jesus wrestling in prayer, with his impending crucifixion. This prayer will be echoed in the other gospels when we find Jesus praying in the Garden of Gethsemane (Matt. 26:39ff; Luke 22:42; Mark 14:43). John 17 contains one long prayer. Jesus prays for himself, for his disciples and for all of his followers who were and are to come. Finally we hear Jesus praying on the cross, "My God, My God why have you forsaken me?" (Matt. 27:46; Mark 15:34) as well asking forgiveness for those who crucified him (Luke 23:34).

     Finally we have the prayers of the Apostle Paul. Paul's prayers throughout his letters and in the Book of Acts are so numerous that we could spend weeks looking at them. What I want to do instead is to look at some of the topics Paul covers in his prayers. One of the most prominent topics for Paul is that of Christian living; that Jesus' followers live lives which reflect the love and grace of Christ (2 Cor. 13:7-9; Phil. 1:9-11; Col. 1:9-10; 1 The. 3:12-13, 5:23). A second topic of prayer is the Apostle praying for himself and his ministry asking that God would bless and protect not only him but also those who share in Christian work (Rom. 1:9-11, 15:30-31; Eph. 6:19; Col. 1:10; 2 Thes. 1:11, 3:1). Strengthening is a third area of prayer. Paul prays that Jesus' followers will have all the power they need to succeed (Eph. 3:16-17; Col. 1:10-11; 1 Thes. 3:13; 2 Thes. 2:16). Next, as one who was well educated the Apostle Paul prays that Christians grow in the knowledge of God (Eph. 1:17; Col. 9-10), of God's will (Phil. 1:9-10; Col. 1:9), of God's love (Eph. 3:17b-19), of the hope of God's calling (Eph. 1:18) and of all that God has given us (Eph. 1:18; Philemon 1:6). In addition Paul prays for more love (Phil. 1:9; 1 Thes. 3:12; 2 Thes. 3:5), Christian unity (Rom. 15:5-6), hope (Rom. 15:13) and grace and peace for believers (too many passages to mention).

    My hope is that his brief overview of prayer will help us to see that prayer is central to our identity as Christians and essential to our own spiritual journeys.

    

The Road to Redemption – Spiritual Disciplines Prayer in the New Testament 1

    In our last article we examined prayer as a major component of the Old Testament. We saw that it was a spiritual discipline practiced for more than a thousand years by God's people who believed that the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob was a God who was both approachable and caring.

    It is understandable then that prayer also plays a pivotal role in the New Testament. We see this most clearly when Jesus is approached by his disciples with the request that he teach them how to pray. This request can be found in Matthew 6:9-13 and Luke 11:2-4. For many of us it might seem odd that the disciples, good pious Jews, would need Jesus to teach them "how to pray." After all they had been praying all of their lives. Context helps us understand their request. Jesus had been critical of those who prayed long-winded public prayers in order that they might be acknowledged as spiritually superior individuals. That being the case the disciples desired to know how they ought to pray. He then gave them a formula for prayer which has come to be known as The Lord's Prayer.

    For those of you who read last week's article you will remember that we followed the ACTS model for prayer (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication). The obvious question then is if Jesus gave us a model, why ought we to have another model? My response is that much of what is in ACTS is also contained in the Lord's Prayer. Thus they work together as a means of teaching us about prayer. My hope is that this will become clear as we examine Jesus' model prayer.

    "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Thy name…" We begin with Adoration. The concept of "hallowed" means that we acknowledge that God is holy, meaning something or someone that inspires awe and reverence. The word "hallowed" is a reminder that when we address God we are not texting a friend or speaking with our best buddy. We are in communication with the creator and ruler of the universe.

    "Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven…" This phrase is an extension of the first phrase and its theme of Adoration. This is so because it reminds us that God is greater than we are and therefore God's will and the eventual establishment of God's kingdom are more important than our desires and our kingdoms.

    "Give us this day our daily bread…" This next phrase is one of Supplication…which if we were strictly working with ACTS means it is out of order…yet it reminds us that it is acceptable to seek from God those things that we need. I realize that many Christians struggle with praying for their own needs (this may seem selfish). Jesus however teaches that this is an acceptable practice in part, I believe, because it reminds us that God is giver of all that we have.

    "And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors…" We now reach Confession. Jesus makes it clear that confession and seeking forgiveness is central to a God-centered life. Without confession we would more than likely continue living in ways which are counter to the will of God. Confession allows for realignment. In addition we are to forgive others as we have been forgiven.

    "Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from the evil one…" Once again we return to Supplication. We are taught that we are to ask God not to lead us into places where we might be tempted (recall Jesus being led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by Satan) as well as to protect us from the evil one who would lead us away from God. We are asking then for God's protection.

    What is notable about this prayer is that it does not contain a portion for Thanksgiving. I would offer that a reminder to give thanks was unnecessary because any observant Jew was already giving thanks multiple times during the day. Jewish teaching was that one gave thanks for virtually everything; another day, food to eat, beauty in nature, the ability to perform good works and many others. In a sense thanksgiving did not need to be mentioned because a good Jew could not exist without it.

    

The Road to Redemption: Spiritual Disciplines - Prayer in the Old Testament

    In an earlier article we examined prayer by using the pneumonic ACTS. ACTS is intended to help us remember the basic flow of prayer. A is for adoration or praise. C is for confession. T is for thanksgiving or gratitude. S is for supplication or intercession. This article will focus on prayer in the Old Testament offering us examples of each type of prayer. I hope that by so doing we will see that prayer has been an essential aspect of the life of the people of God from the very beginning.

    We begin with Adoration or praise. One of the oldest prayers in the First Testament is actually in the form of a song. In Exodus 15:1-2, 11, following the Israelites successful crossing of the Red Sea, Marion, the sister of Moses offers a sung prayer of adoration. Here are a couple of sections of that prayer. "I will sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously; horse and rider he has thrown into the sea. The Lord is my strength and my might, and he has become my salvation; this is my God, and I will praise him, my father's God, and I will exalt him." "Who is like you, O Lord, among the gods? Who is like you, majestic in holiness, awesome in splendor, doing wonders?" Some of the most beautiful prayers of praise can be found in the Psalms. Psalm 146 begins this way, "Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord, O my soul! I will praise the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God all my life long." (vs. 1-2).

    Confession is the next step in the pattern of prayer. Perhaps the best known confession is that of King David in Psalm 51. Scholars believe he offered this prayer after his affair with Bathsheba. "Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against you, you alone, have I sinned, and done what is evil in your sight…" (vs. 1-4a) The importance of confession is examined in Psalm 32:3-5. "While I kept silence (about my sin), my body wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up
as by the heat of summer. Then I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not hide my iniquity; I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the Lord," and you forgave the guilt of my sin."

    We move next to prayers of thanksgiving. One of the great prayers of thanksgiving is offered by King David when he had the Ark of the Covenant brought into Jerusalem (I Chronicles 16:8-13). "O give thanks to the Lord, call on his name, make known his deeds among the peoples. Sing to him, sing praises to him; tell of all his wonderful works. Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice. Seek the Lord and his strength, seek his presence continually. Remember the wonderful works he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he uttered, offspring of his servant Israel, children of Jacob, his chosen ones." In the Book of Daniel we find Daniel giving thanks for the ability to interpret dreams (Daniel 2:22-24). "To you, O God of my ancestors, I give thanks and praise, for you have given me wisdom and power, and have now revealed to me what we asked of you, for you have revealed to us what the king ordered."

    The final piece of the prayer pattern is that of supplication or intercession. A first example of this type of prayer is found in I Samuel when Hannah prays for a child (I Samuel 1:11).  "O Lord of hosts, if only you will look on the misery of your servant, and remember me, and not forget your servant, but will give to your servant a male child, then I will set him before you as a nazirite
until the day of his death. He shall drink neither wine nor intoxicants, and no razor shall touch his head." We also witness Moses interceding for God's people following the golden calf incident. (Exodus 32:11-12) "O Lord, why does your wrath burn hot against your people, whom you brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? …Turn from your fierce wrath; change your mind and do not bring disaster on your people."

    My hope is that this very cursory look at prayer in the Old Testament will be a reminder that God's people have always sought to be connected through prayer to the God who called, freed, saved and corrected them.