A Note from Pastor Dann Farrelly
A fast involves sacrificing something important (even vital, like food) to create time, space, and focus to commune with God about the things on His heart and yours. In this way, fasting is feasting on His sustaining presence. The goal is to draw near to God, so it always involves speaking with and listening to God. Merely abstaining from food or some other activity is not the goal, but a means to create the space to focus on communion with Him.
In all Scripture, humility, rather than pride or status-seeking, was a key component of holy fasting and prayer (Lk. 18:12-14) and fasting without obedience to the Lord’s commands was useless and self-deceiving. In the Old Testament, there was only one commanded fast in the law of Moses (most of their worship involved eating and/or feasting!). It was a one-day fast of repentance on the Day of Atonement when the high priest offered a sacrifice on behalf of the people for their sin. Old Testament leaders called fasts in times of corporate repentance, crisis, grief, or desire for God’s direct intervention and protection, and when seeking His direction, facing opposition, or taking on a high-stakes assignment for the Lord and His people.
In the New Testament, while not elevating fasting in the way John the Baptist's disciples or the Pharisees had, Jesus affirmed that His people would fast during the time when He was physically not with His disciples (Lk. 5:34-39) as a sign of their longing for “the bridegroom”. Jesus Himself fasted 40 days before beginning His ministry (Mk. 4:1-13). He expected humility, focus on the Lord, and a complete lack of self-seeking attention when His people fasted (Matt. 6:16-18). At least once, the Church fasted before choosing and sending its leaders (Acts 14:23).
Since communion with Him is the goal of the fast, we should each seek the Lord about the things on His heart for us individually and corporately. Asking Him what to fast, for how long, and what He’d like to accomplish in and for us is a great first step. Sometimes we get a clear sense of these things; other times we don’t, but instead move in faithfulness to wait on Him and take on some of the objectives revealed in Scripture, or follow the emphases our leadership team is calling for below.
We have shaped this fast to last one week so we can corporately maintain focus and celebrate its conclusion on the next Sunday, January 14, 2024. See the schedule of events below for more details! Additionally, some of you may want to invite your friends over to pray for an hour in the evenings or schedule times to go on prayer walks with others if you’re able. The hope is that we are fasting, focusing, and “feasting” together rather than merely trying to “go it alone”—although this might be the call upon some of us.
If you have generally fasted things like sweets, technology, television, marital sexual relations (1 Cor. 7:5), coffee, social media, or negativity, we’d encourage you to fast something that creates time so you can spend it with the Lord and others for this fast. If you have never fasted food, you might talk to the Lord about fasting food for one or two meals or days (the first three days are generally the hardest), the whole week, or from sunrise to sunset during the week. We want you to partner with the Lord in this. It is wise to talk with God about your plan and then seek His grace to enable you to complete it. We will have an anonymous sign-up in our church lobbies on Sunday, December 31 and Sunday, January 7 so you can identify what you are fasting and how long as a way of consecrating yourself to this time and doing it together.
Finally, fasting will likely create blocks of time in your schedule that are often filled with other behaviors like eating. For this week, try to intentionally use these new blocks of time to pursue the Lord in prayer, worship, the Word, study of something that spiritually benefits you, journaling with the Lord, rich community, or service to others—rather than merely distracting yourself or filling up these spaces with other activities. Perhaps there is a Christian book or devotional you’ve meant to dive into and now is the time to read it while in conversation and connection with the Lord.
We’re excited for this time of consecrated communion with God’s presence as a body and as individuals. We invite you to join us for our daily prayer gatherings, and journey with us through daily local church emails.
Many Blessings,
Dann Farrelly and the Bethel Leadership Team
