Hunger for God

Website Editor • August 19, 2020

From Pastor Ryan Lewis' message on Matthew 9:14-17:

Fasting. A believer's voluntary abstinence from food to accomplish spiritual growth.



It's not a topic you hear preached on a ton; yet it is an ASSUMED part of the Christian journey. In Matthew 6:16, Jesus says that WHEN — not IF — you fast, to not look gloomy like the hypocrites and draw attention to yourself. Instead, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. He alone will reward you.



Jesus makes it clear that fasting should be habitually practiced, the same as prayer and giving. (...It's interesting to note that fasting is mentioned more times in the Bible than baptism!)



Biblical fasting isn't an end to itself, it is purposeful and prayerful.



Fasting enhances our ability to pray, along with help from the Holy Spirit, to focus and listen to God. We fast not so that we can get stuff, but so that we can worship God, get closer to God, and have the privilege of participating with God in His plan. We can't get closer to God without worship and prayer.



Biblical fasting is purposeful. We should fast with a hunger to glorify God and to grow in nearness to Him. Author Donald Whitney says it well,



“In real life, here’s how it works: as you are fasting and your head aches and your stomach growls and you think, “I’m hungry!”, your next thought is likely to be something like, “Oh, right —I’m hungry because I’m fasting today. Then your next thought should be, “And I’m fasting for this purpose: ___________.”



Without a clear biblical purpose, fasting becomes an end in itself. Every hunger pang only makes you calculate the time remaining until you can eat. Such thinking disconnects the experience in your mind and heart from the gospel and descends into the deception that perhaps your suffering will earn God’s favor.” 



Fasting should be a purposeful time for us to set aside our own needs and wants to glorify God. It is best suited for people who hunger for God, and also for those who don't. Fasting is probably the best tool we can use to grow in our hunger for God. We can use the discipline to prayerfully repent of our apathy and draw near to Him in the process.



Other reasons we might fast:

  • We're longing for Christ's return
  • We lack joy; or we're too self-focused
  • We hunger for a strengthened prayer life
  • We lack mental clarity or have brain fog
  • We are combatting anxiety and/or depression
  • We are combatting a habitual sin or temptation
  • We desire a spiritual breakthrough (such as in marriage, singleness, job, etc.)



While you are fasting, remember that God will never tell you to do something that does not line up with His word. If God reveals something to you, take it to the Word and take it to community — seek counsel.



Another word of warning: fasting is not a means to manipulate God or obligate Him to do what we want Him to do. Sometimes the reward is simply growing in intimacy with Him.



So.... how do we do this??



To start, (1) IDENTIFY YOUR PURPOSE.  (See bullet points above or insert your own.) During your fast, when you hunger... remember that purpose and PRAY.

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(2) START SMALL. Try fasting for just a day, or even a meal. Work up to longer periods. Don't wait for the perfect day to start fasting; there will never be a perfect day.

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(3) TRY DIFFERENT TYPES OF FASTING. By definition, Biblical fasting is from food; but a fast from social media, screens, sugar, your favorite hobby, etc. are likely to be helpful too. Consider what most often captures your heart, and fast from that.

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(4) CONSIDER THE NEEDS OF OTHERS FIRST.

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(5) CONSIDER FASTING WITH OTHERS. Don't fast like the hypocrites do, but do so with humility. Limit who you tell and how you tell them.

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And (6) FINISH YOUR FAST WITH PURPOSE. Savor the moment you take your first bite of food or drink your first sip of coffee. Thank God for His goodness and provision. Don't end your fast in only relief that you can eat again.


Blessed are those who HUNGER.


Let's be a people who seek God first and hunger for Him more than anything else.



Additional Notes

  • Matthew 6:16-18 - “And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 17 But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, 18 that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” (Note: This verse points believers to caution their motive in fasting. We must be careful of legalism, hypocrisy, or attempting to manipulate or obligate God to do our bidding.)



  • “A word of warning: Do not spiritualize a sinful neglect of food and call it fasting. Many sin by eating too much. That’s the sin of gluttony. But as with most sins, there’s a contrasting sin in the opposite direction, meaning that a person may also sin by willfully eating too little. Usually this is rooted in vanity.” - Donald Whitney 



  • “We fast in this life because we believe in the life to come. We don’t have to get it all here and now, because we have a promise that we will have it all in the coming age. We fast from what we can see and taste, because we have tasted and seen the goodness of the invisible and infinite God — and are desperately hungry for more of him.” - John Piper



  • Some health conditions keep some people from fasting, however, fasting is not limited to abstaining from food. Some might consider fasting from television, computer, social media, or some other regular hobby or enjoyment that would bend your heart toward greater enjoyment of Jesus. Paul even talks about married couples fasting from sex “for a limited time, that you may devote yourselves to prayer” (1 Corinthians 7:5)



  • “Fasting should really be made to include abstinence from anything which is legitimate in and of itself for the sake of some special spiritual purpose.” - Martyn Lloyd-Jones



Resources

  • Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life by Donald Whitney
  • Habits of Grace by David Mathus
  • A Hunger for God by John Piper



Watch this sermon, here.

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