Fasting for the Soul

This program was made from the following episodes:

"Spiritual Food"

"Biblical Fasting, with Chizzy Anderson"

"Why Can't I Drive This Out?"

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Dannah Gresh: What did you have for breakfast this morning? Today I tried for the first time I tried butter and raspberry jam on my oatmeal. And it was good! What did you have for breakfast, and when you were eating it did you stop to realize that you had been given a gift?

Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth: The most basic needs we have are met by a faithful, covenant-keeping God, how our food is a gift from Him, our other basic creature needs, the things He provides for our comfort, for our flourishing, for our enjoyment, these are gifts from a good God.

Dannah: Just in time for holiday feasts, today we’re talking food and fasting.

Welcome to Revive Our Hearts Weekend, I’m Dannah Gresh. 

Food is something that everyone needs, every day. 

Maybe that’s why it’s so easy for us to forget that it’s so much more than just an apple or a cup of hot tea. The foods you put on your plate, the drink you pour into your favorite mug, each one is a gift from a good God

Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth spent some time teaching through Psalm 136. You know that psalm, right? It’s the one that has "His love endures forever" every other line. 

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.
His faithful love endures forever.

Give thanks to the God of gods.
His faithful love endures forever.

Give thanks to the Lord of lords.
His faithful love endures forever.

Here’s Nancy with a sweet memory from her childhood. 

Nancy: But as we were growing up, there was this table grace that our parents taught us that we would sing from time to time. I’m not going to sing it for you. I couldn’t find it on the Internet. I couldn’t even find the words. But I remember it quite well. Here are the words:

“We thank Thee, Lord, for this our food, God is love, God is love.” (And let me say, by the way, at times we had guests at our house, that’s when my dad would ask for a command performance—our family to sing this grace. It’s actually kind of long, and we were always really embarrassed to do it, but it still sticks with me.)

We thank Thee, Lord, for this our food,
God is love, God is love.
But most of all, for Jesus’ blood,
God is love, God is love.
These mercies bless and grant that we
May live and feast and reign with Thee,
God is love, God is love.

Well I thought of that table grace which I haven’t sung for, I don’t know, forty-five years or more, fifty years maybe, as I was meditating on Psalm 136, and particularly the verse we’re looking at today that has to do with God’s provision of food.

Remember the first verse of Psalm 136:

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
for his steadfast love endures forever.

The steadfast love, remember, is the hesed—the covenant-keeping, faithful, loyal love of God for His people.

And then we’ve come to verse 25 in our journey through this psalm:

Give thanks to the Lord he who gives food to all flesh,
for his steadfast love endures forever.

Psalm 145:15–16 tells us, 

The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food in due season. You open your hand; you satisfy the desire of every living thing.

We talked about how the most basic needs we have are met by a faithful, covenant-keeping God, how our food is a gift from Him, our other basic creature needs, the things He provides for our comfort, for our flourishing, for our enjoyment, these are gifts from a good God.

Acts chapter 14, verse 17, says it this way, reflecting on Israel’s history, “He did good (remember we said the Lord is good? He is good and He does good. The Lord did good) by giving you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness.”

Isn’t that a sweet verse? God is just involved in that whole process of sending the rain that brings the fruitful seasons—and somehow the rain gets to the ground, gets to the crops, and the next thing we know it’s on our dinner table.

Now, people who grow up in farming or agrarian cultures, knew it didn’t just happen that way. But where we live in our cities and our suburban areas today, we don’t really see the farm process. We just see it come to our tables. But God is not only involved in sending the rain and causing the crops to grow, but He’s also the one who gets the food to us and then satisfies our hearts with food and gladness.

This is a personal God. This is a powerful God who is intimately and intricately involved in the details of our lives.

I think of Psalm 37 where the psalmist says in verse 25, “I have been young, and now I am old,yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his children begging for bread.”

Now, we could do a whole other session or series—and maybe we will someday—on: Why then is there hunger in this world? And why are there people whose needs aren’t met? Why are there famines? Why are there droughts? Why are there whole areas of the world where people are chronically underfed? But what I do know is the Scripture says that those who trust in the Lord, He will meet their needs.

And yet we see that in times in Israel’s history, God did withhold food from them.

Deuteronomy 8, verse 3 comes to mind where the Scripture says, “He caused you to hunger—(He caused you to hunger.)—that He might let you know that man does not live by bread alone but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”

So there are purposes of God that are bigger than the immediate needs that we have, and God knows what He is doing. I think that’s what we come away with, and knowing that as we lift our eyes up to Him, as we look to Him, He has promised He will meet our needs. He feeds not just our bodies, but He feeds our souls, our hearts with His steadfast love.

Psalm 36 gives us a picture of that, beginning at verse 7: “How precious is your steadfast love, O God! (Your hesed, Your covenant-keeping love.) The children of mankind feast on the abundance of your house, and you give them drink from the river of your delights.”

I don’t think that’s talking about just physical food and drink. I think it’s talking about God meeting the deepest needs of our souls, the longings of our hearts with Himself. And, again, He’s not a stingy God. He gives an abundance of His house. He gives us to drink, to feast at His table and to drink from the river of His delights. This is a generous, grace-filled God.

So we say, “Give thanks to the Lord he who gives food to all flesh, for his steadfast love endures forever.”

Dannah: "Give thanks to the Lord he who gives food to all flesh, for His steadfast love endures forever." Oh thank You, God. That was Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth pointing us to the One who provides our basic needs, and one of them is food.

You know, as Nancy was talking, I was picturing a table set for Thanksgiving, weren’t you? It is that time, friend! Here’s what was in my mind when I think of that table: perfectly roasted turkey (we're thinking Norman Rockwell perfection), steaming mashed potatoes, pies sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar.

Food really does give us a reason to praise God every day. He gives us such abundance! But, the Bible also points to food as a means to learn another important lesson: how to surrender our cravings for more of what our flesh wants. 

And my flesh, well if I'm being honest, I would really like a woodfired pizza—margarita please with basil and fresh mozzarella. Hmmm, my mouth is watering now. 

There are times when it may be wise to surrender our need for food in order to feast on God in a fresh way. What a statement for me to make just before the Thanksgiving season. Yeah, I know. But let’s go there. I want you to listen to a conversation about fasting I had with two of my dearest friends: Chizzy Anderson and Erin Davis. 

You know, Erin and I host the Revive Our Hearts videocast and podcast Grounded. I appreciated how Chizzy started our conversation with a passage she leans on to learn more about fasting, Mark 6. Here’s Chizzy. 

Chizzy Anderson: In Matthew chapter 6:16–18, it says:

When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others that they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father who is unseen; and you Father who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. (NIV)

I think that passage is so interesting because when it says if it is obvious to people, then you've received your reward in full. It's that feeling you get when you let people know you are pursuing holiness . . . whatever that is . . . that's your reward. But that shouldn't be the full reason for pursuing holiness, so that other people will see you. That's not what it is for.

I learned that early on. My parents did full fasts. I've done all different types of fasts. But to be able to remember what my reasoning is and to ask the Lord to help me doesn't mean that no one knew I was fasting. But the focus wasn't so people could see how great I was at working on this. It was for the Lord to do what He wanted to do in my life.

He's so loud about His rewards in my life and in other people's lives. When He answers, it is just so loud. It's interesting to be that quiet about it and then have Him reward in a clear way that He is answering my prayer.

Erin: I think if you look at Matthew 6, Jesus is not saying never tell anyone when you are fasting. That's not what He is saying. He's giving us this picture of someone He calls the hypocrite, which means, their heart is not turned toward the Lord. They are pretending to turn toward the Lord, but their heart is somewhere else. I think, again, we tend to take everything to legalism or pride.

Dannah: If I could say, that Scripture was in my mind when I ate that In and Out burger. I don't know what I ate. I didn't eat a burger. I think I got French fries because they were a vegetable. It went with my fast because I wanted to. If I said, "I'm fasting" to this person, I was so excited. There was this element of pride in me. You've got to use the Scriptures as a guide when you are fasting to guide your decisions.

Can I just share Isaiah 58. I just love this passage. It piggysbacks on this because it talks about, "Hey, you are doing everything you want and trying to do things to appear good, but that's not what I want for you." Then Isaiah writes. This is God's words.

Is this not the kind of fasting I have chosen; 
to loose chains of injustice 
   to untie cords of the yoke,
to set oppressed free
   and break every yoke? 
Is it not to share your food with the hungry
   and provide the wanderer with shelter—
when you see the naked, to clothe them,
   and not turn away from your own flesh and blood? 
Then your light will break forth like the dawn,
   and your healing will quickly appear; 
then your righteousness will go out before you,
   and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard. (vv. 6–9 NIV)

I read that and realized, it's easy for me as an introvert to fast and hide away in my prayer closet. But prayer is an act of corporate communication with God. So much of prayer in Scripture—Our Father, not my Father but our father. Jesus says when two or three are gathered together there I am.

So when we are praying, it's not that we shouldn't have an individual prayer life and shouldn't go into our prayer closets, but introverts can tend to get stuck there and be happy with it. This called me, as a woman prone to that, especially during periods of fasting, to ask: how is what I'm doing right now bringing the glory of God into me so that I can shine it out into others.

That has changed the way that I do it. Sometimes when I fast I might take the money that I would spend at Starbucks and try to find someplace where I can bless someone with that money, because that was the heart of Isaiah. If I see someone who is struggling financially, I might buy a bag of groceries, if Bob and I are fasting together and it is saving on the grocery bill (sometimes it doesn't because we juice or something like that).  So I might buy a bag of groceries and deliver it to someone. I'll honestly throw it on their porch so that I'm kind of in the heart of this. Don't forget that heart is not delivering the groceries, the heart is not meeting the physical needs of people, but it is the work to pray for those people.

If you are fasting and not praying, you're on a diet.

Erin: You're on a diet.

Dannah: So make sure that part of the work you are doing is praying for people, for problems, for God's movement and glory to shine on this earth.

Erin: I'm sort of fascinated that intermittent fasting has become this dieting pheonomena. I love it when what's happening out there apart from the church is like, "We think fasting is really good for you." Yes, the Lord's been saying that since the beginning of time. But if you are just intermittent fasting for a weight loss measure, that is not what Scripture is calling us to do. 

Prayer is such an important thing. I don't know if you girls do this, but I tend to default to prayer when I've tried everything else. Prayer is a work that we can be doing. So are you using your fast to pray for the needs of others? 

I had a whole year where I fasted every Friday for my sons, and my two oldest boys gave their hearts to the Lord and were baptized over the course of that year when I was fasting and praying for their salvation every Friday. Did I cause their salvation? Of course not. Jesus does that work. But I got to participate in it by praying for them.

I'd say the passage of Scripture that the Lord used most in my life is a little story in Mark 9. There was a demon-possessed boy. The disciples tried to drive out the demons but they couldn't. Then Jesus does. Afterwards the disciples go, "Hey, Jesus, what was the deal? Why couldn't we do it?"

Jesus said, "This one can only be driven out by prayer and fasting."

That sentence . . . I said, "What are the 'this ones' in my life?" What are the relational barriers? What is the bitterness in my heart? What is the cultural pain that I'm seeing that the Lord says, "This one, Erin, is only driven out by prayer and fasting"? So I pray and fasting for no other reason than Jesus did it. Jesus fasted for at least forty days once. Anything Jesus did, I'm willing to do.

Dannah: That was Erin Davis and I talking with Chizzy Anderson about the spiritual discipline of fasting.

It was a conversation from an episode of Grounded, the Revive Our Hearts videocast and podcast that I host alongside Erin and Portia Collins. New episodes drop every Monday morning. You can watch live on Facebook, or catch us later on YouTube.

If you’re unfamiliar with the story, we launched Grounded in March of 2020. What else was happening in March of 2020? Oh, the whole world was shutting down because of the coronavirus. It was a crazy, hard, and sad time. But God was starting something new, and it was exciting to be a part of. 

Something you might not know is that as we were launching that new program, Erin was in the middle of a forty-day fast. She’s someone I’ve watched incorporate fasting into her spiritual life so beautifully. 

You might have heard me say forty-day fast and thought that sounded crazy. I want you to know that the Bible doesn’t give us a formula for fasting. We see it executed in different ways, for different lengths, and for different reasons in Scripture. But it has been a tool I’ve seen God use many times to grow our hunger for Him.

Erin recently wrote a book on fasting called Fasting and Feasting. She also recorded an entire season of the podcast The Deep Well based on this book. I want you to hear a gold nugget from episode 2 of the latest season of The Deep Well. 

Remember in Mark 9 how Jesus healed the boy possessed by a demon? Erin spent time in this episode unpacking the story. Did you know it related to food? Here’s Bethany Beal asking Erin how she came about teaching on this. Yeah, I’d like to know how this all connects, too.

Bethany Beal: I wonder—we’re talking about fasting and feasting—what drew you to this story?

Erin: I think that’s one of the things I love most about Scripture, is you can look at it from a different angle and see something unique there. I don’t know when, but at some point I was studying Mark 9, and of course we all want to think about the Transfiguration, because that’s wild. But what happened right afterwards? I just became so drawn to that story. Of course, I’d heard that father’s prayer before, but I don’t know that I’d put it all together in context.

It’s just dramatic. I mean, it is just a drama story. But I did get kind of hung up on, why couldn’t the disciples drive it out? If you read all the Gospels, they do perform miracles, even when Jesus isn’t within earshot. So it’s not that they were incapable. But in this case, they couldn’t. What did Jesus mean when He said, “This kind can only be driven out by prayer and fasting?”

So, I just think the whole thing is fascinating. Honestly, I have more questions than answers about this passage, but I always like to extract, “Okay, what can I know?” What can I know about God from this passage? What can I know about how He’s called me to live from this passage?

I think what we can know is that God gives us prayer and fasting as a tool on our spiritual toolbelt, and that started this whole journey for me of exploring fasting—fasting for myself, wanting to teach about fasting, wanting to talk about it more often. So, to me it’s just fascinating. But it’s not the go-to story that we might think of when we think about God and food, which I love. If I get you thinking about your Bible in a new or unique way, I’ve done my job.

Bethany: You mentioned the verse—you talked about it a couple times—Mark 9:24. You were talking about how the father was crying out, “I believe; help my unbelief.” I think we’ve all found ourselves in a place where we just feel like, “I want to believe, but this is really hard.” Has there ever been a time in your own life where you have cried this prayer to God, where you’ve felt like, “Yes, I want to believe, but help my unbelief”?

Erin: I actually think that is our true state. I mean, we believe enough to know there is a God, we believe enough to know His name is Jesus, we believe enough to cry out to Him; but we have all of these other questions. For me, the question is not, “Is there a God?” or “Is He listening?” or “Does He care about me?” Those things are settled in my heart. But is He going to answer this the way that I want Him to? Is He going to answer it when I want Him to? Is what I’m praying for even His will? How can I know if it’s His will? Those are all my unbelief addendums to every prayer that I have ever prayed.

So I think every prayer, honestly, is that for me. “I believe in You, God. I trust You, God. But I’m not sure what You’re going to do here, and I’m not sure I’m going to like what You do here. How can I know what Your timeline is?” I mean, all of those questions are real. That’s my Christian walk. This prayer could pretty much just describe the whole journey. “Yes, I’ve put my trust in You, but there’s a lot I don’t understand.”

Bethany: I love this story, because it showcases Jesus’ power and how He is the one that has the power. He has what we need. I know I’ve been in that place, and I’m sure our listeners right now, many of them feel that way: “I am so weak. I’ve exhausted all my options, and I feel like I don’t have anywhere else to go.”

For the listener who’s feeling that way, the sister in Christ who’s feeling like: “I’ve exhausted all my options; I am broken; I need Jesus.” What is the next step? Do I just start praying? Do I just start fasting? What in the world do I do at this moment of brokenness?

Erin: Oh, that is such a beautiful moment, and I think it’s a moment that the Lord really honors. Scripture tells us that He’s honored by a contrite spirit, which is kind of an old-fashioned way of saying when you’re at the end of your rope, when you are at the end of your resources, when you know, “I cannot handle this. I am out of my depth here.” That’s what that means. I think absolutely, crying out to God in whatever way you can is the right next step.

That could mean praying, but you know, we’ve probably all been in times—I’ve been times where I don’t even have any words to pray. If someone were to say to me, “Well, just pray about it!” I’d be like, “You might as well just tell me to build the Eiffel Tower out of toothpicks.” I mean, I just can’t. I don’t have it. But I can sing. I can ask other people to pray for me and with me. I can just pray this beautiful prayer that the dad prayed: “I believe; help my unbelief.” He didn’t say anything other than that.

Jesus and the demonic forces that tormented that man’s son responded to that simple prayer. So you know what, don’t muscle it up. Don’t pretend you have something that you don’t have. Just turn yourself to the Lord in whatever way you can.

One thing I have said and thought before when I can’t hear the voice of God, is I need to listen to the people of God. There are times when I just can’t hear His voice. There’s nothing wrong with Him. He’s speaking through the ages. It’s me. I have my ears stopped up. But the people of God can, in that situation, speak hope and life to me. So, a great next step for today is to get yourself to a woman who loves Jesus and can just speak life-giving words to you.

Bethany: That’s beautiful.

Dannah: That conversation between Bethany and Erin was taken from the latest season of The Deep Well podcast. In it, Erin teaches from her new book, Fasting & Feasting.

You can learn more about Fasting and Feasting and join the conversation with Erin and Bethany at ROH.com/weekend and we’ll have a link to The Deep Well there for you.

Well, the fall colors are in their full glory here in Pennsylvania. As much as I want to savor this season, I also know the new year will be here in the blink of an eye. 

I want you to spend 2023 soaking in this truth: Heaven rules. One way you can do that is with the all new Heaven Rules Calendar from Revive Our Hearts. It features some of Nancy’s favorite iphone snapshots along with Scripture verses,and inspirational quotes to remind you that Jesus, the Bread of Life, is always on the throne. 

You can get your 2023 Revive Our Hearts Calendar by calling 1-800-569-5959, or go to ReviveOurHearts.com/weekend and click on today’s episode. 

Thanks for listening today. Thanks to our team who have decided that today’s episode has made them hungry. Phil Krause wants some potatoes and gravy. Blake Bratton Rebekah Krause is dreaming about an apple pie. Justin Converse thought he smelled a turkey fresh from the oven. Michelle Hill’s mouth is watering for some roasted sweet potatoes. Erin Davis wants some warm banana bread. And I’m still basking in the memory of butter on my oatmeal. For Revive Our Hearts Weekend, I’m Dannah Gresh

Revive Our Hearts is calling women to freedom, fullness, and fruitfulness in Christ.

 

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