The Power of Hunger

One of my favorite characters in the Old Testament is a guy named Daniel. What I appreciate so much about Daniel is the way in which he pursued God when he faced something oppressive. When Daniel was being groomed to be a Babylonian leader, he was given the best food and wine from the king’s table—but he refused to eat it. Instead, he committed to consume just vegetables and water to show that God was the one who would sustain him. Later in his life, Daniel gave up rich foods in a time of mourning as he prepared to convey a difficult message to the king. When Daniel pursued God, he often fasted. He gave up something tangible to gain something spiritual.

Today, we call this a Daniel Fast. Fasting is giving up something valuable or routine in your live in order to help you pursue God most earnestly. In March, I gave it a try. I had been wrestling with some issues in my life in which I just couldn’t find peace and clarity. I needed to make some hard decisions that had some deep emotional underpinnings. Peace and clarity were evading these decisions. So, I decided to fast to pursue God in this area. I gave up meat, bread, pop, dairy products, and sugared products for fruit, veggies, grains, and water. Here’s what happened to me.

Week One:
My body resisted this as if fruits and veggies were poison. I got headaches, I was always hungry and was in the bathroom constantly. I was grumpy and I complained a lot. I did pray more but my prayers were self-centered. I was going through a detoxification: detoxing from sugar, caffeine, wheat, dairy, and other things my body craved. I was also detoxing from a bitter and unforgiving heart. I felt frail and weak.

Week Two:
In the second week, something new began to happen. I found rhythm in this fast. Instead of resenting apples, bananas, and spinach, I began to enjoy them. Their flavors burst as I realized that these foods were sustaining me. Instead of fighting in prayer, I submitted, I listened, and I forgave. I prayed for others more than I cried out for myself.

Week Three:
Though my situation had not been resolved, in the third week I rediscovered peace. I was able to function without inner tension over the situation. Then, it ended. I broke the fast. I enjoyed steak, bread, beverages other than water, and brownies with ice cream. I ate them slowly and gratefully. It never tasted better as I celebrated God’s goodness.

So, what does this have to do with the cross? Why write about Daniel when our attention is focused on Jesus’ final days? As I read through Matthew’s account of Jesus’ final days on earth, there seems to be a thread of frailty running through the text. As Jesus enters the garden to pray, he is in emotional turmoil. Blood drips from his skin like sweat as he wrestles with the will of the Father. He knows the pain of crucifixion is coming. He feels the loneliness of impending betrayal, denial, and desertion from his followers. Jesus seems frail in this moment. And, the disciples are weak as well. As Jesus agonizes in prayer, the disciples can’t stay awake. As Jesus is betrayed and arrested, those most committed to him scatter in fear and confusion.

In a sense, everyone in the story is sacrificing. Jesus will give up his will to align with the Father’s plan for mankind. He’ll give up his physical health to be beaten beyond recognition and to be executed in a horrific manner. He’ll give up his holiness and glory to take on the weight of the sin of billions of human beings. Even the disciples, in their frailty, are sacrificing. They are giving up their friend and mentor so Jesus could give himself for others. In their confused state, they are giving up their dream of Jesus being the next Moses to deliver them from the oppressive hand of the Romans. They are frail. They are weak. They are confused. They look helpless in this moment. But, the story doesn’t end there. In a matter of weeks, these frail, confused followers will become bold, confident, God-filled leaders who will change the world with the Good News about Jesus. Confusion turns to clarity. Frailty becomes strength.

One of the points of fasting is to create a hunger or craving. Fasting will demonstrate your frailty as it did mine. But, that seems to be okay with God. In our weakness, he becomes strong. He has a way of turning your frailty into his strength in you. Consider giving up something this Easter season. Create a hunger. Pursue God in your weakness. Expect to experience God in a fresh way.