In Which We Slow Down To Feast on the Lord’s Name
Throughout the Old and New Testament, God’s people have fasted to express sorrow, repentance, and desperation. In ways we only partly understand, these acts of physical denial open up our spirits to experience God in deeper and more powerful ways. For Christians, fasting is less an obligation than a privilege: the opportunity to enjoy a special time of intimacy with our Bridegroom despite his physical absence (cf. Mark 2:18-20).
Memory Verse: “‘Now, therefore,’ says the LORD, ‘Turn to Me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning.’ So rend your heart, and not your garments; Return to the LORD your God, for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness; and He relents from doing harm.” —Joel 2:12-13 (NKJV)
-
Richard Foster: Celebration of Discipline
- 4. Fasting
-
Donald Whitney: Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life
- 9. Fasting
-
Eugene Peterson: A Long Obedience in the Same Direction
- 13. Humility: “I’ve Kept My Feet on the Ground”
-
Ruth Haley Barton: Sacred Rhythms
- 5. Honoring the Body: Flesh-and-Blood Spirituality
