Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up. ~ James 4:10

Why do Christians Fast During Lent? This is a very valid question. Fasting is not always about giving up something that we need to survive (like fasting from food/water). Fasting is all about giving up something we typically rely on (maybe our morning cup of coffee) to refocus our attention on how much we need God.

If you think you want to try fasting to connect with God in your journey through Lent, but don’t really know what it looks like, take a bite (get it?) out of this devotional below and get an idea how fasting can bring you closer to God!

Written by Reclaim Today

Six years ago, I moved across the country for a job I believed God had opened up for me to take. Six months after that, the department I was working for was disbanded and I was out of a job. I was unemployed, in a new town, and I was terrified. To find direction for my next step forward, I did something I had never done before—I fasted.

I didn’t grow up in a church that participated in or even really spoke of fasting. But, I knew it was a biblical practice, modelled by firm believers in both the Old Testament and the New Testament. I knew the basic idea was to go without food in order to pray and focus and listen to God alone, and I knew that was exactly what I needed.

James 4:10 encourages people of faith to “humble themselves before God,” and this is what fasting is ultimately about. It’s an active way to take the focus off of self and put it back on God. The result we’re offered at the end of this verse is that God will “lift you up.” If we want to be transformed from scared and confused to clear-minded and at peace, then a position of humility is a good place to start.

Why It Matters

Fasting isn’t only about withholding food. It’s about giving something up, so focus can be shifted back to God and prayer. The act of humbling oneself in this way is the beginning of transformation. And Lent is all about waiting for and anticipating God’s promised transformation.

A simple prayer like this can be all we need to get started connecting with God in our Lent journeys. To follow more of our journey through Lent and check out our other Lent devotions click here!

Original content by Reclaim Today. Reshared with permission.