The First Saturday of the Month = Fast Sunday
What is Fasting?
Fasting shouldn’t be too foreign to anybody. It’s as old as the Old Testament. Moses fasted in Exodus 34:28 while he was on Mount Sinai, “And he was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights; he did neither eat bread, nor drink water. And he wrote upon the tables the words of the covenant, the ten commandments.” We also have the example of Jesus fasting in Matthew 4:1-4 in his 40 day fast.
1 Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.
2 And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred.
3 And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.
4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
From Muslim faith fasting each year during their Ramadan to fasting as part of blood work for your physician, fasting is everywhere.
I’ll leave the physiological benefits of fasting to someone else. I’m interested in spiritual benefits.
Fasting for the Lord
When fasting with the Lord in mind, there should be one added component. Prayer. If the important ingredient of prayer is not added to fasting then it’s nothing more than casting longing looks at the fridge.
Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught in a talk “The Law of the Fast“, “we must lift our hearts, our minds, and our voices in communion with our Heavenly Father. Fasting, coupled with mighty prayer, is powerful. It can fill our minds with the revelations of the Spirit. It can strengthen us against times of temptation.”
Participating in Fast Sunday
Once a month, usually the first Saturday-Sunday, members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are encouraged to participate in a fast. Those who are unable because of medical or other prohibitive reasons are naturally exempt. This is fully voluntary. Fasting is a personal matter to each person. Nobody is forcing participation. Members are asked to forgo food and water for two consecutive meals then donate the money they would have spent on those meals in a fast offering.
Fast offering amounts are left to the discretion of the individuals. The church only asks that we give a “generous” fast offering. Whether it’s $500 for two meals from the fanciest restaurant in town or 20¢ for two packages of Raman Noodles. I like the amount that one of my religion teaches once gave, “pay till it hurts”. It is all about the heart of the person and the Lord. The Lord will bless people according to his will. The fast offering is a private thing and is not a chance to parade to people how generous you can afford to be.
The money collected from the fast offering is used in humanitarian efforts to feed those in need. I found an article that is a little dated but talks about the use of donations. You can read it here. Think about it. Sacrificing your needs for another. What a great way of practicing being Christlike.
Occasionally, leadership might ask members to hold a special fast for a specific reason. Such as blessing a group of people in an unfortunate circumstance. There is great power in special fasts.
There are Great Blessings in Fasting
Last night my wife commented how amazed she was at how often she would think about stopping by the fridge for a quick snack. I had to agree with her as I had a dozen times thought about that very thing. It could be life-changing for those who are fasting to remember something the Lord has done for them or to list a blessing each time they are tempted to have some food.
It’s amazing how dependent upon the Lord we are and how much we eat. Think about those who go for days without food and what a blessing it is for them when they are able to have a healthy meal because I was willing to give.
Image Credit: Dallas Golden