Joyful Fasting

"The LORD of Hosts says this: The fast of the fourth month, the fast of the fifth, the fast of the seventh, and the fast of the tenth will become times of joy, gladness, and cheerful festivals for the house of Judah. Therefore, love truth and peace." - Zechariah 8:19 HCSB

An old tzaddik used to make a habit of fasting on a regular basis. He was an elder in the church and people were coming to him constantly for his help. The only way that he could get these precious times of spiritual renewal was to go out into the woods. He would fast for days at a time as he communed with the Lord in prayer, worshipped in song, danced and focused his mind on Hashem’s word.

His wife was concerned for him so as he was preparing to leave on one of his times of prayer, she handed him a bag of bread, one loaf for each day he would be gone, and a canteen of water. “Take this,” she said. “Eat and keep up your strength.” He thanked her and assured her it wasn’t necessary but when she insisted, out of his love for her he took the bag along.

He arrived at his destination, drew out his Bible and began to read. This soon led to a time of confession which went directly into worship and praise for Hashem’s deliverance. He prayed, studied and learned at the feet of the Master from dawn till dusk, only falling into his cot once the light got too dark to see. Even his dreams were filled with visions of Adonai’s wonders.

Finally, the day of his return arrived and as he gathered his things, he was only mildly surprised to see that all the food his wife had given him remained. He had eaten nothing for days and had not even noticed.

We usually associate fasting with mourning[1] or national calamity.[2] We generally think of fasting in terms of a restricted diet[3] or a time of confession of sin.[4]

However, the Lord predicted a time of particular spiritual “rapprochement” that would include an increased desire to attend to worship and fasting. People will call out to each other saying, “Let's go at once to plead for the LORD's favor and to seek the LORD of Hosts. I am also going…In those days, 10 men from nations of every language will grab the robe of a Jewish man tightly, urging: Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you."[5] He prophesied that this spiritually minded people would enjoy the regular fast, considering it to be a time of joy, gladness and good cheer.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could be so focused on our God that all other considerations would fade? Wouldn’t it be something if we could fast, not as a burdensome discipline, but by accident, simply because our joy caused us to not even notice?


[1] 1 Samuel 31:11-13
[2] Joel 2:15; 2 Chronicles 20:3
[3] Daniel 10:2-3
[4] Nehemiah 9:1-3
[5] Zechariah 8:20-23 HCSB