Why is there only a lonely 'E' between Feast and Fast? They are so close in spelling but miles apart in how I feel about them. I love feasts but really struggle with fasts and find myself in a constant battle to see this discpline as helpful to my spiritual journey.
Take last week. On Tuesday I was at a local Curry house enjoying a Balti with 8 other guys all of whom had been on Alpha or Christianity Explored recently and wanted to continue the journey of faith. Sat around a table breaking a naan bread together whilst drinking copious amounts of water because the chillis were hot, has a mysterious spiritual element to it. On Thursday I was breaking pizza with several other people who run Faith & Football Leagues in the City (Faith & Football is an activity for children run by volunteers from local churches) and swapping stories of what God was doing through the Leagues. Humbling and encouraging. Then on Saturday morning I had a full breakfast (and I mean FULL!) with 7 other men, all older than me, and we chatted about ordinary things - from tanks to birds to foxes to family - then prayed together. It was so encouraging to listen to followers of Jesus, some who were in their 80's, still passionate, still following, after all these years. It felt like God was present at each feast and that he was pleased.
There is something about feasting that is so good for the soul (as well as the body!)
This week we have asked the church to set aside Wednesday for prayer and fasting (I'm sure there's a missing 'e') as we head towards planning permission for the new building on land next door to our exisiting church. Praying that we are in the centre of God's will and that the opposition we are facing might be overcome. It's going to be a tough day for me, but I know that if I can get this right it too will be good for my soul and my body.
In Isaiah 58, God is rightly furious with the routine ritual that fasting had become. If nothing changes in me becasue I fast, then God has every right to be furious with me. Is it only a day to humble myself, is it only for bowing my head like a reed, (Isaiah 58:5) to make me feel better?
I know I need to approach fasting like a feast and feasting like a fast, that it's not either/or, it's both/and. Then my light will break forth like the dawn, then I will call and the Lord will answer (Isaiah 58:8,9).
I'm looking forward to more feast's and hoping to learn that fasting is something to look forward to as well, taking every opportunity to encounter God and to get myself re-focussed on what He wants to do in me and through me. What a difference they can make as I tune in to God's will and am ready and prepared to be used by Him.
No comments:
Post a Comment