“Surely I have composed and quieted my soul; like a weaned child rests against his mother, my soul is like a weaned child within me.”
—Psalm 131:2

Reflection

Fasting makes us hungry for God. When we fast, we learn to look to God alone as our source for life. It helps us recognize our total dependency on Him and gives us greater focus and clarity, drawing us into deeper intimacy with God.

This does not mean fasting will always bring about some extraordinary or sensational miracle, or that it will cause our lives to become perfect. Sometimes we may fast and feel as though very little happened. But the truth is that something can be happening within us even when we are not aware of it at the time.

The Lord once illustrated this to me through a dream. There was a lush, secluded forest filled with the presence, love, and peace of God. The Spirit was leading me deeper and deeper into that place of peace, when suddenly the smell of pizza became a distraction. The desire for something natural began pulling attention away from where the Spirit was leading.

The lesson was simple: If you will deny yourself the natural, you can be drawn deeper into the supernatural and experience more of God’s presence and peace.

But fasting is not just giving up food. The Lord may direct us to fast from television, the internet, certain foods, certain relationships, or other things that consume our attention. As we deny ourselves and let go of the things Father directs us to fast from, He draws us closer to Himself.

Fasting changes us, whether we immediately see the results or not. God uses it to transform us and to gain greater possession of us for Himself. We may or may not experience bliss or joy, but as we rely on God as our source, we are drawn into greater intimacy with Him.

This intimacy is not an overnight experience. It does not develop in a single day, week, or month. It takes a lifetime to develop this kind of closeness with the Lord.

We also cultivate intimacy by simply sitting before Him, quietly resting in Him and soaking in His presence. At such times we put away striving and talking, and we quietly wait and rest in Him.

Our culture teaches us to stay busy. Sometimes we even overburden ourselves in the pursuit of spiritual things, believing that if we do more, we will become more. But oftentimes less is more when it comes to spiritual things. We are human beings, not human doings.

If we want to become intimate with God, we must make room for His presence. Like David, we can learn to compose and quiet our souls before Him.

Application

• Ask Father what natural distraction He may be calling you to set aside so that your attention can be more fully directed toward Him.
• Make time to sit quietly before the Lord, putting aside striving and simply resting in His presence.

Prayer

Father, teach me to look to You alone as my source for life. Show me what I need to set aside so that I can be drawn deeper into intimacy with You. Quiet my soul and free me from striving, busyness, and the distractions that pull my attention away from Your presence. Transform me even when I cannot immediately see what You are doing within me. Draw me closer to Yourself and increase my hunger for Messiah. Amen.