THE LAW OF THE FAST
Fasting is a vital part of our spiritual growth and the sanctification process we are going through in this life.
We learn much about fasting from the people of God in the Book of Mormon.
They fasted and prayed mightily in behalf of the welfare of the souls of those who knew not God.
Their abundant prayer and fasting lead to the spirit of revelation, and when they taught, they taught with bpower and authority of God.
They fasted in time of sorrow and loss for peace and understanding.
We learn that their fasting had a unifying effect.
And sometimes they expressed gratitude by their fast when the Lord delivered them from their enemies.
Fasting will not change the mind and will of God.
We must keep one thing in mind as we approach fasting and prayer. That is the concept of “Thy will be done”. Fasting will not change the mind and will of God. Fasting changes us. When we learn to live the law of the fast we learn that often we do not get what we set out for in our fast. Our purpose then becomes to know and understand the will of the Lord and be given strength to accept, deal with, and grow from His purpose. His purpose is often to sanctify us and prepare us to receive more of the things of eternity. Sometimes, that sanctification which fasting produces inside of us is required for His miracles to be manifest.
In 2nd Corinthians 12, Paul spoke of a specific “thorn in the flesh” which he besought the Lord 3 times to remove. Clearly, a physical malady was causing distress in his life. The term “besought” signifies pleading and most likely, in Paul’s case, included fasting and prayer. What was the result of his pleading? Paul tells us that the Lord said to him “My agrace is sufficient for thee: for my bstrength is made perfect in cweakness.” Paul continues, “Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may drest upon me.”
The Lord had place Paul’s “thorn” for a reason. It was His purpose. Paul did not prevail in his beseeching, but he did gain understanding and one would expect peace concerning the issue. He could finally get down to the business of dealing with it and growing stronger because of it.
There are times when fasting is helpful; and then there are times when fasting is necessary.
A young father pleaded with the Savior to heal his child, of whom the scriptures say he was a “lunatic from the time of his birth. The Apostles had already tried to heal the lad but were unsuccessful. Jesus immediately cast the evil spirit out and after healing the boy his disciples asked “why couldn’t we do it?”. To which Jesus answered it was because of unbelief and lack of faith. And then he said, “Howbeit this akind goeth not out but by prayer and bfasting.” (Mathew 17:21)
Clearly there are links between believing and faith, and fasting. It is not enough to merely wish and pray our persistent problems, flaws, and weaknesses away. Sometimes we must fortify our faith with sacrifice. Examining our own lives, how might fasting help us cast out our personal demons?
Fasting opens our hearts to God and our pantries to the poor.
Joseph F Smith said, “The lord has instituted this law (of the fast); it is simple and perfect, based on reason and intelligence, and would not only prove a solution to the questions of providing for the poor, but it would result in good to those who observe the law. It would call attention to the sin of over-eating, place the body in subjection to the spirit, and so promote communication with the Holy Ghost, and insure a spiritual strength and power which the people of the nation so greatly need”. (Joseph F Smith, Gospel Doctrine, 237)
Does the word “fasting” mean more than just going without food?
D&C 59 gives us some reason to ponder the meaning of fasting. It relates fasting with the terms “joy” and “rejoicing”.
13 And on this day thou shalt do none other thing, only let thy food be prepared with singleness of heart that thy afasting may be perfect, or, in other words, that thy bjoy may be full.
14 Verily, this is fasting and prayer, or in other words, rejoicing and prayer.
The footnote for the word fasting in verse 13 says, “IE hungering and thirsting after righteousness, cf”.
Fasting in this sense may also refer to abstinence of selfish, carnal, or worldly things. Each Sabbath experience may be considered a fast if we truly leave the things of the world behind and hunger and thirst after the things of God. The Lord gives us a key here. He is drawing a comparison between “Joy” and “Rejoicing”. Joy being a feeling we harbor in our hearts, and rejoicing being an emotion we emit towards God. In my mind peace and joy go hand in hand, and I do not believe that you can have peace and joy without the spirit of gratitude. It seems then, that one of the purposes of fasting is to garner a heart of gratitude, a change of perspective, that helps us see things the way the Lord sees them, enabling us to be at peace and be filled with joy no matter our situation in life.
Fasting from the things of the world extends to our Temple worship.
D&C 88:119 says, “Organize yourselves; prepare every needful thing; and establish a bhouse, even a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, a house of order, a house of God”.
The temple is a house of fasting and prayer. As we attend with minds free from outside thoughts, exerting all our efforts to stay alert and mentally focused on the symbols and words and doctrines taught there, we literally sit at a potential feast of revelations. Our hearts are knit together in a common cause and that unity links us to the power of God.
Unity is a powerful and key purpose or our fasting.
When we come together to fast for a friend, a family member, or a member of the branch or ward, we become unified in a common cause. That unity opens the doors of heaven, not only to those for whom we fast, but to us as well.
I would like to illustrate some of these principles of fasting with some personal experiences our family has had in the past several months.
Fasting for Tayler
Late last December, my son Tayler received his mission call to the Brisbane, Australia mission. In February, he was undergoing a rigorous physical for his VISA when his doctor detected an ever so faint heart murmur, only detectable when he was lying on his back. An echocardiogram was ordered and we learned that Tayler’s heart was not functioning well. One of the chambers was enlarged and it wasn’t pumping blood out at the rate it should be. When I got off the phone with the doctor and told Tayler the findings I could see the blood drain out of his face. He was physically weakened by the news. For a short time there was a question as to whether or not he would be able to serve a mission at all. We all prayed for guidance and understanding and peace. We held a family fast that Sunday and learned that many of our ward members were also fasting for Tayler without our even asking. Later that day when word got out that Tayler had a heart problem and would be undergoing some more invasive testing to determine the cause, many of his friends from Sherwood let him know that they would be fasting for him the next day, Monday. The unity and love that was engendered by each individual’s sacrifice on our son’s behalf was overwhelming. Our hearts were touched deeply by the compassion. We could feel strength pouring in. Tayler wrote this on our family blog about the experience:
Last Sunday, roughly 30 people were joined in a common cause, fasting on my behalf- I cannot express the feelings i felt that day. Never once did i feel the normal hunger pangs. Never did i have the thought pop into my head, "wow I really wish church would go faster so I can go home and eat," never was there any negative side effects of the fast. This was all new to me. It was amazing! Feeling the way I felt,. . I could literally feel everyone in their fast... I was deeply touched. It was almost tangible what I felt . . . . This whole experience has taught me the value of fasting. . . I also had reinforced for me that God is already aware of my needs. . . But it’s not enough for him simply to know. I have to know. I have to feel the need. And then, most importantly I have to ask. Is this for God's benefit? Of course not. He wants to teach us these things . . . . I have been humbled by the support from my Family, Friends, and from my Heavenly Father. . . God has heard and answered our prayers. He has answered MY prayer. There is no more calming feeling than to start my evening prayer with great anxiety, and to close, having the spirit whisper "peace. Be still"
After about 6 weeks in the mission field he wrote in an email from Brisbane “This past fast Sunday was especially good. i prayed for what to fast for, and 3 things came to mind directly. I fasted for 3 miracles; two having to do with investigators, and one for Dad. I don’t know what that miracle is, but hopefully it happens, cause it felt like he really needed it. So if anything happens, let me know!”
4 weeks later I had what could have been a very serious accident. While spraying weeds on my property my ATV became unbalance when I drove over a stump. The fluid in the 25 gallon spray tank strapped to the back of the ATV shifted and tipped me over, sending me head first down a rather steep 10 foot embankment. As I fell I unconsciously grabbed hold of a poison oak vine allowing me to get my feet in front of me. Just as I came to a stop and was sitting up the ATV crashed down over me, bending me in-two, bruising the back of my head , back, and thigh severely. After passing out a few times I was able to return home. I found my wife, told her what happened, and then I rested for about an hour. I got up to undress and check my wounds and I became very weak and light headed. My wife hurriedly brought me a chair which I slumped into and fell unconscious again. The next thing I remember was hearing my daughter speaking with a 911 operator. I quickly came to and told her to hang up the phone and that I was alright. Brethren, there is no amount of bravado, no ranting, no argument, no reasoning, no volume or tone of voice that can compensate for passing out in front of your wife. I did not prevail. I had my first ambulance ride and my first trip to the ER. After scans, x-rays, ultrasound, ECG, and other tests I was pronounced battered and bruised and very stiff and sore, but whole none the less. At that point I had neither the courage nor the will to say “I told you so”. I was just grateful to be going home.
I had been in denial about the seriousness of that accident until I was in the temple not long afterwards and the Lord let me know that I had not just been lucky, but that I had been preserved, and I sensed that my temple covenants and my garments had a lot to do with it. But there was something else that I had noticed. I never once was bitter or angry, never depressed or despondent. Not even my pride was hurt for long. I quickly recognized that this accident was a prescription for pride and a reminder to care for my earthly temple and protect it. A restful peace settled upon my soul. As I have prayed for understanding and insight I have come to believe that this peace and understanding was the fruit of my missionary son’s fast for me.
When my son learned of my accident he wrote “Dad, remember last month when I told you I was fasting for you? Well, the whole day it felt REALLY important, and then this whole last month I was wondering why... well, now I know. Testimony of Fasting just skyrocketed.”
Conclusion
Fasting blesses all our lives in one way or another. It is a merciful tool God has given us to penetrate the veil of mortality. It allows us to feel His love and mercy more abundantly. It fortifies us with power to endure life’s challenges and prevail. It induces humility and generosity. It enables us to accept and understand Gods will in our lives and to accomplish His purpose. I am so very thankful for the refining and sanctifying power of fasting in my life.
No comments:
Post a Comment