What comes to mind when someone tells you they are fasting?
Does this question make you think of the abstaining from food, drink, or sweets?
Fasting is discussed throughout the bible, and quite honestly I never understood why one would fast. Leading up to Easter I did a 40-day devotional. I fasted something different for these 40 days: my voice, regret, withholding emotions, discontentment, comparison etc. Each day of this fast had its own challenge. You may be thinking that some of these things are hard to fast–hard to comprehend, really. Our culture really doesn’t slow down to process the events leading up Easter.
Jesus is more human than some of us make him out to be, which is exactly what the 40 Days of Decrease taught me. As a matter of fact, there were times that Jesus felt alone, even after being surrounded by his disciples. Jesus separated himself from the disciples to pray in sorrow. Yes, you read that right–Jesus felt sorrow. Even in his sorrow, he asked three of his pals to be in companionship with him.
Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, “my soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.” Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will but as you will.” –Matthew 26:36-39
As Christians, we talk a lot about how valuable and important Jesus’ presence is in our lives. But we seldom consider the value of our presence to Him. Think about this concept: Jesus treasures your companionship.
Sometimes, I compare my companionship with Jesus to other believers. I often compare how people relate to Jesus. Some of my friends have wisdom about the bible that I don’t think will ever be a gift of mine. I compare how often I pray and how others hear from the Lord. Truth be told, no relationship is the same.
“The eternal weight of the space between Jesus’ death and resurrection will only be known on the other side of this life, for the scriptural references are filled with both majesty and mystery.” – Alicia Britt Chloe
