A Physical for the Christian Soul

This article is a continuation of the prior one dealing with fasting. Donald Whitney outlines 10 reasons to fast in his book Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life. We pick up with reasons six through ten in this article.

6. To Express Concern for the Work of God

Though many of us in North America may not have experienced this, imagine walking through a village in Rwanda or the Sudan after it was pillaged and savaged by ruthless murders and rapists. There are dead people lying along the roadside butchered by machetes with their limbs severed. The homes that they live in burned and destroyed. Everywhere you turn the stench of death waffles through the air.

You think, how can man do this? Where is God? Scenes like this would compel us to pray, but prayer might not be enough to satisfy our longing for healing. So we fast, weep and pray asking God to descend to this place of hell on earth and begin to heal it.

Nehemiah found himself in a similar situation. Jerusalem had been savaged by the Babylonians as the Jewish nation was exiled into captivity. Years later he traveled to Jerusalem and saw the devastation. Here’s how the Bible describes the scene in Nehemiah 1:3-4.

The tragedies you experience are probably not a graphic as the example, but may be equally devastating. Consider fasting as you ask for God’s healing.

I heartily recommend that you pick up Donald Whitney's, Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life. It's a practical and powerful resource that will help you to draw close to God by reminding and teaching you how to pray, serve, worship, study, obey, memorize Scripture, evangelize, journal, and give without being legalistic. Click on the image to order your copy today.