What Is the Proper Way to Fast?

My Come, Follow Me studies for this week took me to Isaiah 58-66 with a lesson titled “The Redeemer Shall Come to Zion.” The lesson was introduced by the following information.

Early in His earthly ministry, Jesus Christ visited a synagogue in Nazareth, the village where He was raised. There He stood to read from the scriptures, opened the book of Isaiah, and read what we now know as Isaiah 61:1–2. He then announced, “This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.” This was one of the Savior’s most straightforward declarations that He was the Anointed One, who would “heal the brokenhearted” and “preach deliverance to the captives” (see Luke 4:16–21). This scripture was indeed fulfilled on that day. And, like many other prophecies of Isaiah, it continues to be fulfilled in our day. The Savior continues to heal all the brokenhearted who come unto Him. There are yet many captives to whom deliverance must be preached. And there is a glorious future to prepare for—a time when the Lord will “create new heavens and a new earth” (Isaiah 65:17) and “cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations” (Isaiah 61:11). Reading Isaiah opens our eyes to what the Lord has already done, what He is doing, and what He will yet do for His people.

       

This scripture block teaches many principles, too numerous to mention. The focus of this post will be on the principle “Fasting brings blessings” (Isaiah 58:3-12). People who genuinely love the Lord seek to overcome their sins and to draw nearer to the Lord in fasting and pray. The Israelites of Isaiah day fasted, but they did so with a bad attitude. They considered fasting to be a burden as these verses show:

 

3 Wherefore have we fasted, say they, and thou seest not? Wherefore have we afflicted our soul, and thou takest no knowledge? Behold, in the day of our fast ye find pleasure, and exact all your labours.

4 Behold, ye fast for strife and debate, and to smite with the fist of wickedness: ye shall not fast as ye do this day, to make your voice to be heard on high.

5 Is it such a fast that I have chosen? A day for a man to afflict his soul? Is it to bow down his head as a bulrush, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? Wilt thou call this a fast, and an acceptable day to the Lord?

 

The words written by Isaiah show us that the Lord was not pleased with the attitude expressed by the Israelites. Many people of our day – you and I – occasionally consider fasting to be a burden, so maybe we can relate to the people of Isaiah’s time. However, this is not the way that the Lord wants us to fast. He sought to teach the Israelites that there is a proper way to fast and to commune with God. After chastising the Israelites for having a bad attitude, the Lord, through His prophet Isaiah, taught the way to properly fast.

 

6 Is not this the fast that I have chosen? To loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?

7 Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? When thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?

8 Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the Lord shall be thy rearward.

9 Then shalt thou call, and the Lord shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am. If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity;

10 And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noonday:

11 And the Lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.

12 And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in.

 

The Savior taught through Isaiah’s words that fasting has a genuine spiritual purpose: it breaks the bands of wickedness, sets free the spiritually oppressed, and provides bread for the hungry and covering for the naked. Bishop John H.Vandenberg explained as follows:

 

I suppose when he speaks of “loosing the bands of wickedness” of “undoing the heavy burdens,’ and the “breaking of every yoke” that he is referring to the wickedness of people who think only of themselves in selfishness, vanity, pride, and having hearts so set upon the things of this world that the two great commandments of loving God and loving neighbor are entirely forgotten. The principles of loving thy neighbor and of loving God are encompassed in the true purpose of the fast.

Certainly, it takes no imagination to understand what is meant when he says, “… that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?”

He meant that in addition to taking care of the poor, that we should watch over our own kin and be responsible for our father, mother, brother, and sister when they are in need.

It is here that I would like to state that the Lord has caused a day of fasting and prayer to be set up in this day so that collectively the Church might join together to fulfil the purposes of fasting.” (In Conference Report, Apr. 1963, p. 28.) 

 

An uncomplicated way to think about fasting is to think of it as doing “the Father’s will” instead of doing “my will.” I can no longer fast from food for health reasons. I need to eat some food every few hours to stay physically healthy. However, I do not need to eat fancy foods or a big feast. I can eat a small amount but enough to care for my health. I can also fast from other things in my life. I frequently fast from social media in addition to eating sparingly.