We often see food as a guilty pleasure or a craving to be conquered. We’re either eating with indulgence or restraining as a punishment. What if we could embrace both sides of the Bible’s calls to celebration and discipline in our relationship with food? The practices of fasting and feasting may hold the key to the balance God has designed.
Fasting says that my spiritual hunger is greater than my physical one
Everybody knows the Ten Commandments, but we often forget that they were given to Moses while he was on a 40-day fast atop Mt. Sinai (Exodus 34:28). We similarly remember Jesus’ miracles and how He resisted the devil’s temptations, but we forget that His ministry began with a 40-day fast (Luke 4:2). Spiritual discipline is developed through denial.
Fasting is also an important part of prayer. When Ezra led the people of God on a dangerous journey from exile back to their homeland, he says, “We fasted and implored our God for this, and he listened to our entreaty” (Ezra 8:23). Before Esther went to meet the king to plead for the welfare of the Jews, she urged the people, “Hold a fast on my behalf, and do not eat or drink for three days, night or day” (Esther 4:16). And when the church in Antioch sent out Paul and Barnabas, they only did so “after fasting and praying” (Acts 13:3).
Fasting still doesn’t mean getting whatever you want, but it can be a critical way to discern God’s will and show God how important it is to you. Fasting also develops spiritual discipline and exercises self-control. Take a step to incorporate biblical fasting into your spiritual rhythms.
Feasting celebrates the joy of God’s provision
Food can be such a battle for us that we lose sight of its enjoyment. As John Calvin said, “Did God create food only to provide for necessity and not also for delight and good cheer? … Did he not, in short, render many things attractive to us, apart from their necessary use?” God could have created a world where we were all sustained on nutrition tablets. Instead, He gave us the variety of foods and the diversity of the world’s cultures to celebrate His provision.
Just as we forget that God commanded the Israelites to fast (Leviticus 16:29), we also forget that God called them to feast. At Sukkot, or the Feast of Booths, the Israelites weren’t merely to build temporary structures to remember the wilderness years; they were to feast for seven days (Deuteronomy 16:13) and were told, “You shall rejoice in your feast” (Deuteronomy 16:14).
Has food been such a battle that it ceases to be a joy? Have you stopped savouring food and started just consuming it? Enter into the gratefulness of the psalmist when He praises God saying, “You cause the grass to grow for the livestock and plants for man to cultivate, that he may bring forth food from the earth and wine to gladden the heart of man, oil to make his face shine and bread to strengthen man's heart” (Psalm 104:14-15).
Food isn’t our enemy, nor is it simply fuel. It’s a gift that points us to the Giver. By balancing biblical fasting and feasting, we can glorify God through both restraint and celebration. Food can deepen our spiritual discipline and heighten our spiritual delight. Let food not only sustain your body but nourish your soul.
In awe of Him,
Paul
