Fasting: A Weapon of Weakness

May 26 • PRAYER

I don’t like fasting.

I wish I did. I wish I could say it feels natural, spiritual, and easy. But the truth is, fasting exposes me. It makes me uncomfortable. It makes me needy. It reminds me that I am weaker than I like to admit.

And that is exactly why I need it.

Fasting is a powerful means of grace. It is one of the ways God humbles the heart and teaches us dependence. It pulls back the curtain on the illusion that we are strong, self-sufficient, capable, and in control. It confronts the lie that we have enough power, discipline, wisdom, and resources in ourselves to become who God is calling us to be and do what God is calling us to do.

We don’t.

Apart from Him, we are needy. Apart from Him, we are weak. Apart from Him, we are dust with a good résumé.

That is not bad news. That is the beginning of freedom.

In a very real sense, fasting is a weapon of war. But it is not the kind of weapon we usually imagine. It does not operate through strength, dominance, force, or self-reliance. Fasting is a weapon that works through weakness. Through humility. Through surrender. Through hunger. Through the honest admission that God is our only hope.

Fasting opens a kind of doorway. Not because hunger manipulates God. Not because skipping meals earns us points in heaven. Not because God is impressed by religious performance. Fasting opens space in us. It clears the noise. It exposes the idols. It gives us the gift of a humbled heart.

And all throughout Scripture, we see that God is drawn to the humble.

“God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”— James 4:6

That is what fasting helps us become: humble men before a holy God.

I remember when I first got married, I did my first five-day fast. I had never done anything like that before. And God used it powerfully. During that fast, He broke the back of my smoking habit, along with several other patterns that had taken root in my life before marriage. Fasting did not make me impressive. It made me desperate. And in that desperation, I became more open to the grace and power of God.

During The Crucible, fasting became that kind of tool again. It kept me humble. It kept me vulnerable. It kept me aware of my need for God, especially in the context of a brotherhood of men crying out to God for the same thing.

That is why we are entering this 48-hour fast together this week.

We are not fasting to show off. We are not fasting to prove our toughness. We are not fasting to earn God’s favor. We are fasting to humble ourselves.

We are fasting to remember. We are fasting to declare together that God is our only hope.

Fasting is also a powerful tool for seeking God’s wisdom and direction. When we need clarity, fasting helps quiet the competing voices. When we bring our requests before God, fasting helps us surrender the outcome. When we are trying to discern His will, fasting helps tune our hearts to His purposes.

Again, fasting does not force God to speak. But it does train us to listen.

It gives us the gift of a humbled heart. And a humbled heart is more able to hear when God is speaking, more willing to obey when He gives direction, and more ready to trust Him when His answer is different from what we expected.

I do not believe fasting earns favor with God in the sense that it impresses Him. But I do believe God is drawn to a humble heart like a moth to flame. And when fasting is approached in that spirit — not as performance, but as surrender — I believe it moves the heart of God.

So I am asking God to help me approach this fast that way. Not with pride.Not with religious striving.Not with false toughness. But with humility.

With hunger. With need. With dependence.

And I am eager to see what He does in us as a tribe of men who are willing to come before Him empty-handed and say:

“Lord, we need You. You are our strength. You are our wisdom. You are our hope.”

Men, let’s fast together. Let’s humble ourselves together. Let’s seek God together.

And let’s see what He does.

If you’d like to do some light reading on the spiritual disciplines and fasting in particular, here’s a helpful article:

Note: Fast with wisdom. If you have medical concerns or health conditions, modify the fast as needed and seek appropriate medical guidance. The point is not proving toughness. The point is humility, surrender, and dependence on God.

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