Fasting For Needs and Direction

# 300 – As we continue our look at biblical fasting, I want to spend some time on fasting to meet needs. I'm going to start be recalling the biblical account of Elijah being taken in and fed by the widow at Zarephath. You can read about it in 1 Kings 17. At first glance, we can look at this account of the widow and Elijah and ask, “what has this got to do with fasting? The word “fast” is nowhere to be found in the story. This is true, but the concept of fasting is cleverly hidden in the fact that the widow was willing to give up her last meal and trust God to come through and provide for her. This is the essence of fasting! In fasting we are telling God, “I am giving up on my own resources and looking to Your resources.!” In 1 Kings 17, Elijah had just told the wicked King Ahab, that God was going to judge him through drought. Drought means no rain, no rain means no crops, no crops means famine, famine means no food. Famines are mandatory fasts imposed by God. The God who has the first and last say in nature uses them to get our attention, just as He encourages us to fast to get His attention. Remember Mt 6:18? “That your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” (You fast for God’s attention, not man’s) Now, Ahab wasn’t happy with Elijah. He didn’t want to hear the preacher telling him to change his ways, and the best way to silence somebody is do em’ in. So Elijah’s life was in danger, but God was way ahead of Ahab. He already had a pace of safety set aside for  him. So he tells Elijah to beat feet to the brook Cherith where he can hide out and he would  have water to drink and food catered in daily by the Crow Catering Service. Do we have a great God or what? I mean have you ever tried to command a crow? Did you ever try to tell a crow what to do. But God COMMANDED the crows to feed Elijah. Now, He could’ve commanded the chickadees to feed Elijah, but that would’ve meant birdseed, instead Elijah gets the steak and bread diet of the crow! But lo and behold eventually the brook dries up. Now what God? Well sometimes, God has to dry things up in our lives in order to get us to move on. Maybe things are drying up in your life even as I speak. Well, don’t panic, wait to hear from the Lord. Keep looking to Him and His Word. Pull still another fasting card if you have to, it was what Ezra did when he was wondering what to do. He said in Ezra 8:21, “Then I proclaimed a fast there at the river Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God, to seek from Him a safe journey for ourselves, our children, and all our goods.” You see, fasting can also be used to ask God for direction in your life. Fasting for needs or fasting for direction. Whatever the case may be, we are admitting that our resources are used up and we need to rely on His! Father, thank You for the spiritual tool of fasting.